DETECTION OF COXIELLA BURNETII INFECTION IN A SAHARAWI DORCAS GAZELLE (GAZELLA DORCAS NEGLECTA)

作者：Garcia Seco Teresa; Perez Sancho Marta^*; Martinez Nevado Eva; Alvarez Julio; Santiago Moreno Julian; Goyache Joaquin; Dominguez Lucas; Garcia Nerea

来源：Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 2016, 47(3): 939-941.

DOI：10.1638/2015-0068.1

• Coxiella burnetii
• Gazella dorcas neglecta
• Saharawi dorcas gazelle
• semen
• wild ruminants

Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, can infect a wide range of host species, but limited information exists on the occurrence and implications of infection in wild species. This study describes a natural infection in a population of dorcas gazelles (Gazella dorcas) from a zoo. A 9-yr-old male Saharawi dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas neglecta) tested positive on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and fecal polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Despite treatment with oxytetracycline, the animal did not clear the infection after 6 mo, as confirmed by a PCR test on a semen sample. This is the first report of a Saharawi dorcas gazelle infection with C. burnetii and the first time that C. burnetii was detected in semen from a zoo animal, suggesting the possibility of venereal transmission in captive wild species. This may have major implications for management of zoo populations, particularly in endangered species.

• 出版日期2016-9