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Q fever in Portugal: a one health-oriented literature review
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Orientador(es)
Resumo(s)
Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii), a highly infectious and environmentally persistent bacterium.
Its transmission from animals to humans occurs mainly via inhalation of contaminated aerosols, often originating from
small ruminants. Although the disease is widely distributed in Europe, its burden remains underestimated due to
nonspecific clinical presentation and insufficient surveillance integration. As part of an ongoing PhD project in Biomedical
Sciences, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to assess the current state of knowledge on Q fever in Portugal.
This work aimed to synthesize available data from animal, human and environmental studies, while comparing findings
with the broader European context. Over 40 national studies were analyzed, covering humans, domestic and wild animals,
ticks, and environmental matrices. Reported seroprevalence values ranged widely: from 0% up to 45.9% in some livestock
studies, with values often exceeding 30% in goats and sheep. In human studies with occupational exposure, positivity
rates reached 30.7%. Molecular detection of C. burnetii was reported in milk, placentas, and reproductive tissues, and in
urban tick populations. The analysis revealed major gaps in national surveillance. Notably, there are no published studies
specifically targeting the northeastern region of Portugal, despite its relevance in small ruminant production, and
furthermore, no study to date has simultaneously assessed humans, animals and environmental matrices in the same
geographic context, a key limitation for understanding transmission dynamics and implementing the One Health approach.
These findings underline the need for targeted and integrated research in underrepresented regions. The next stages of
the doctoral project will involve the collection and analysis of new biological and environmental samples in northeastern
region of Portugal, with the goal of mapping local C. burnetii circulation and proposing context-adapted surveillance
strategies.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
One Health Q fever Coxiella B Epidemiology
Contexto Educativo
Citação
Caldeira, Maria João; Pereira, Tifany; Rodrigues, Carina; Quintas, Hélder; Mesquita, João R. (2025). Q fever in Portugal: a one health-oriented literature review. In 1st International Conference of the Zoonoses Working Group. Vila Real