Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic bacterium with an obligatory intracellular lifestyle and has a worldwide distribution. Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in animals. Since its discovery in 1935, it has been shown to infect a wide range of animal species including mammals, birds, reptiles, and arthropods. Coxiella burnetii infection is of public and veterinary health and economic concern due to its potential for rapid spread and highly infectious nature. Livestock are the primary source of C. burnetii infection in most Q fever outbreaks which occurs mainly through inhalation of contaminated particles. Aside from livestock, many cases of Q fever linked to exposure to wildlife. Changes in the dynamics of human-wildlife interactions may lead to an increased potential risk of interspecies transmission and contribute to the emergence/re-emergence of Q fever. Although C. burnetii transmission is mainly airborne, ticks may act as vectors and play an important role in the natural cycle of transmission of coxiellosis among wild vertebrates and livestock. In this review, we aim to compile available information on vectors, domestic, and wild hosts of C. burnetii, and to highlight their potential role as bacterial reservoirs in the transmission of C. burnetii.

• Klíčová slova
• Coxiella burnetii, Q fever, coxiellosis, livestock, ticks, wildlife,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

In the Czech Republic, the incidence of human tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has been increasing over the last two decades. At the same time, populations of game have also shown an upward trend. In this country, the ungulate game is the main host group of hosts for Ixodes ricinus female ticks. This study examined the potential contribution of two most widespread game species (roe deer [Capreolus capreolus] and wild boar [Sus scrofa]) to the high incidence of TBE in the Czech Republic, using the annual numbers of culls as a proxy for the game population. This was an ecological study, with annual figures for geographical areas-municipalities with extended competence (MEC)-used as units of analysis. Between 2003 and 2011, a total of 6213 TBE cases were reported, and 1062,308 roe deer and 989,222 wild boars were culled; the culls of roe deer did not demonstrate a clear temporal trend, but wild boar culls almost doubled (from 77,269 to 143,378 per year). Statistical analyses revealed a positive association between TBE incidence rate and the relative number of culled wild boars. In multivariate analyses, a change in the numbers of culled wild boars between the 25th and 75th percentile was associated with TBE incidence rate ratio of 1.23 (95% confidence interval 1.07-1.41, p=0.003). By contrast, the association of TBE with culled roe deer was not statistically significant (p=0.481). The results suggest that the size of the wild boar population may have contributed to the current high levels and the rising trend in incidence of TBE, whereas the regulated population of roe deer does not seem to be implicated in recent geographical or temporal variations in TBE in the Czech Republic.

• Klíčová slova
• Game, Incidence, Roe deer, Tick-borne encephalitis, Wild boar,
• MeSH
• arachnida jako vektory virologie   MeSH
• divoká zvířata MeSH
• incidence MeSH
• infestace klíšťaty epidemiologie   veterinární   virologie   MeSH
• klíště virologie   MeSH
• klíšťová encefalitida epidemiologie   virologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nemoci prasat epidemiologie   virologie   MeSH
• neparametrická statistika MeSH
• prasata MeSH
• Sus scrofa virologie   MeSH
• viry klíšťové encefalitidy izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• vysoká zvěř virologie   MeSH
• zeměpis MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH

Tularaemia, a zoonosis of veterinary and public health importance, commonly occurs in the Czech Republic as well as other countries of Northern Hemisphere. The objective of this study was to analyse the environmental conditions of distribution of natural foci of tularaemia and their long-term persistence in the Czech Republic. A geographic information system has been used for this purpose. A new variable (chi(t)), the mean number of natural foci in a specific area, has been suggested for the evaluation of diseases occurring in natural foci. Comparing two 15-year periods, a close correlation between the geographic distribution and numbers of natural foci of tularaemia in the Czech Republic in 1971-1985 and 1986-2000 (r = 0.91, n = 1814, t = 92.50, p = 0.01) was found. Natural foci of tularaemia have been persistent, but not stationary, over the period of 30 years and the geographic area of their occurrence has not been considerably growing or diminishing in the Czech Republic. The highest numbers of natural foci of tularaemia were in habitats of alluvial forests (chi(t) = 7.20), geographic areas of up to 200 m of elevation above sea (chi(t) = 9.18), 8.1-10.0 degrees C of mean annual air temperature (chi(t) = 6.24), 450-700 mm of mean annual precipitation (chi(t) = 2.84), and 2001-2200 hour of mean annual sunshine duration (chi(t) = 8.77). It was proved that tularaemia persists in specific areas of natural foci, the general environmental conditions of which can be defined and make it possible to predict the occurrence of tularaemia in other areas of suitable conditions.

• MeSH
• ekosystém * MeSH
• Francisella tularensis izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• geografické informační systémy MeSH
• hlodavci mikrobiologie   MeSH
• infekce přenášené vektorem MeSH
• prevalence MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• stromy MeSH
• tularemie epidemiologie   veterinární   MeSH
• zdroje nemoci * MeSH
• životní prostředí * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika epidemiologie   MeSH