National serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of Coxiella burnetii in Kenya
<i>Coxiella burnetii</i>, the causative agent of Q fever, is an emerging pathogen that has the potential to cause severe chronic infections in animals and humans worldwide. The detrimental impact on public health is projected to be higher in the low- and middle-income countries given their lower cap...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Nature Research
2025
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| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173777 |
| _version_ | 1855528243752337408 |
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| author | Wambua, Lillian Bett, Bernard K. Abkallo, Hussein M. Muturi, Mathew Nthiwa, D. Nyamota, Richard Kiprono, Enock Kirwa, Lynn Gakuya, F. Bartlow, A.W. Middlebrook, E.A. Fair, J. Njenga, K. Gachohi, J. Mwatondo, Athman Akoko, James M. |
| author_browse | Abkallo, Hussein M. Akoko, James M. Bartlow, A.W. Bett, Bernard K. Fair, J. Gachohi, J. Gakuya, F. Kiprono, Enock Kirwa, Lynn Middlebrook, E.A. Muturi, Mathew Mwatondo, Athman Njenga, K. Nthiwa, D. Nyamota, Richard Wambua, Lillian |
| author_facet | Wambua, Lillian Bett, Bernard K. Abkallo, Hussein M. Muturi, Mathew Nthiwa, D. Nyamota, Richard Kiprono, Enock Kirwa, Lynn Gakuya, F. Bartlow, A.W. Middlebrook, E.A. Fair, J. Njenga, K. Gachohi, J. Mwatondo, Athman Akoko, James M. |
| author_sort | Wambua, Lillian |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | <i>Coxiella burnetii</i>, the causative agent of Q fever, is an emerging pathogen that has the potential to cause severe chronic infections in animals and humans worldwide. The detrimental impact on public health is projected to be higher in the low- and middle-income countries given their lower capacity to sustain effective surveillance and response measures. We implemented a national serosurvey of cattle in Kenya to map the spatial distribution of the pathogen. The study used serum samples that were collected from randomly selected cattle in different ago-ecological zones across the country. These samples were screened for the pathogen using PrioCHECK Ruminant Q Fever AB Plate ELISA kit. The laboratory findings were analyzed using INLA package to identify risk factors for <i>C. burnetii</i> exposure from herd- and animal-level factors, area, and bioclimatic datasets accessed from online databases. A total of 6,593 cattle were recruited for the study; of these, 7.9% (95% CI; 7.2–8.5) were seropositive. Outputs from the multivariable analysis revealed that the animal age and some of the geographical variables including wind speed, area under shrubs and “petric calcisols” type of soil were significantly associated with <i>C. burnetii</i> seropositivity. Being a calf, weaner or subadult was associated with lower odds of exposure compared to being an adult by 0.24 (credibility interval: 2.5% and 97.5%), 0.41 (0.30–0.55) and 0.51 (0.38–0.69), respectively. In addition, a unit increase in the wind speed increased the odds of <i>C. burnetii</i> seropositivity by 1.27 (1.05–1.52) while an increase on the land area under shrubs was associated with lower odds of exposure (0.67 [0.47–0.69]). The effect of petric calcisols was non-linear; an increase of the land area with this soil type was associated with an exponential increase in <i>C. burnetii</i> seropositivity. This study provides new data on <i>C. burnetii</i> seroprevalence, information of its risk factors and a prevalence map that can be used for <i>C. burnetii</i> risk surveillance and control. The identification of environmental risk factors for <i>C. burnetii</i> exposure, and the increasing awareness of the zoonotic potential of the pathogen, calls for the need to enhance the existing collaborations for the surveillance and control of <i>C. burnetii</i> in line with the One Health framework. The evidence generated on the potential role of environmental factors can also be used to design nature-based interventions, such as replacement of vegetation in denuded areas, to reduce potential for the aerosolization of the pathogen. Livestock vaccination in the hotspots would also reduce animal infections and hence the contamination of the environment. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace173777 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Nature Research |
| publisherStr | Nature Research |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1737772025-10-26T12:52:53Z National serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of Coxiella burnetii in Kenya Wambua, Lillian Bett, Bernard K. Abkallo, Hussein M. Muturi, Mathew Nthiwa, D. Nyamota, Richard Kiprono, Enock Kirwa, Lynn Gakuya, F. Bartlow, A.W. Middlebrook, E.A. Fair, J. Njenga, K. Gachohi, J. Mwatondo, Athman Akoko, James M. epidemiology q fever one health approach zoonoses <i>Coxiella burnetii</i>, the causative agent of Q fever, is an emerging pathogen that has the potential to cause severe chronic infections in animals and humans worldwide. The detrimental impact on public health is projected to be higher in the low- and middle-income countries given their lower capacity to sustain effective surveillance and response measures. We implemented a national serosurvey of cattle in Kenya to map the spatial distribution of the pathogen. The study used serum samples that were collected from randomly selected cattle in different ago-ecological zones across the country. These samples were screened for the pathogen using PrioCHECK Ruminant Q Fever AB Plate ELISA kit. The laboratory findings were analyzed using INLA package to identify risk factors for <i>C. burnetii</i> exposure from herd- and animal-level factors, area, and bioclimatic datasets accessed from online databases. A total of 6,593 cattle were recruited for the study; of these, 7.9% (95% CI; 7.2–8.5) were seropositive. Outputs from the multivariable analysis revealed that the animal age and some of the geographical variables including wind speed, area under shrubs and “petric calcisols” type of soil were significantly associated with <i>C. burnetii</i> seropositivity. Being a calf, weaner or subadult was associated with lower odds of exposure compared to being an adult by 0.24 (credibility interval: 2.5% and 97.5%), 0.41 (0.30–0.55) and 0.51 (0.38–0.69), respectively. In addition, a unit increase in the wind speed increased the odds of <i>C. burnetii</i> seropositivity by 1.27 (1.05–1.52) while an increase on the land area under shrubs was associated with lower odds of exposure (0.67 [0.47–0.69]). The effect of petric calcisols was non-linear; an increase of the land area with this soil type was associated with an exponential increase in <i>C. burnetii</i> seropositivity. This study provides new data on <i>C. burnetii</i> seroprevalence, information of its risk factors and a prevalence map that can be used for <i>C. burnetii</i> risk surveillance and control. The identification of environmental risk factors for <i>C. burnetii</i> exposure, and the increasing awareness of the zoonotic potential of the pathogen, calls for the need to enhance the existing collaborations for the surveillance and control of <i>C. burnetii</i> in line with the One Health framework. The evidence generated on the potential role of environmental factors can also be used to design nature-based interventions, such as replacement of vegetation in denuded areas, to reduce potential for the aerosolization of the pathogen. Livestock vaccination in the hotspots would also reduce animal infections and hence the contamination of the environment. 2025-03-21 2025-03-21T13:32:50Z 2025-03-21T13:32:50Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173777 en Open Access Nature Research Wambua, L., Bett, B., Abkallo, H.M., Muturi, M., Nthiwa, D., Nyamota, R., Kiprono, E., Kirwa, L., Gakuya, F., Bartlow, A.W., Middlebrook, E.A., Fair, J., Njenga, K., Gachohi, J., Mwatondo, A. and Akoko, J.M. 2025. National serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of <i>Coxiella burnetii</i> in Kenya. Scientific Reports 15: 9706. |
| spellingShingle | epidemiology q fever one health approach zoonoses Wambua, Lillian Bett, Bernard K. Abkallo, Hussein M. Muturi, Mathew Nthiwa, D. Nyamota, Richard Kiprono, Enock Kirwa, Lynn Gakuya, F. Bartlow, A.W. Middlebrook, E.A. Fair, J. Njenga, K. Gachohi, J. Mwatondo, Athman Akoko, James M. National serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of Coxiella burnetii in Kenya |
| title | National serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of Coxiella burnetii in Kenya |
| title_full | National serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of Coxiella burnetii in Kenya |
| title_fullStr | National serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of Coxiella burnetii in Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | National serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of Coxiella burnetii in Kenya |
| title_short | National serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of Coxiella burnetii in Kenya |
| title_sort | national serosurvey and risk mapping reveal widespread distribution of coxiella burnetii in kenya |
| topic | epidemiology q fever one health approach zoonoses |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/173777 |
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