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- Prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis E virus in wild boar and red deer in PortugalPublication . Pires, Humberto; Cardoso, Luís; Lopes, Ana Patrícia; Fontes, Maria da Conceição; Silva, Sérgio Santos; Matos, Manuela; Pintado, Cristina Santos; Figueira, Luís; Matos, Ana Cristina; Mesquita, João Rodrigo; Coelho, Ana CláudiaHepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic foodborne virus with an annual infection prevalence of 20 million human cases, which seriously affects public health and economic development in both developed and developing countries. To better understand the epidemiology of HEV in Central Portugal, a cross-sectional study was conducted from 2016 to 2023 with sera samples from wild ungulates. The seroprevalence and risk factors for HEV seropositivity were evaluated in the present study. Specifically, antibodies against HEV were determined by a commercial enzyme-linked immunesorbent assay (ELISA). Our results show that in the 650 sera samples collected from 298 wild red deer and 352 wild boars in Portugal, 9.1% red deer and 1.7% wild boar were positive for antibodies to HEV. Regarding age, the seropositivity in juvenile wild ungulates was 1.3%, whereas it was 7.2% in adults. Logistic regression models investigated risk factors for seropositivity. The odds of being seropositive was 3.6 times higher in adults than in juveniles, and the risk was 4.2 times higher in red deer than in wild boar. Both wild ungulate species were exposed to HEV. The higher seroprevalence in red deer suggests that this species may make a major contribution to the ecology of HEV in Central Portugal. Further research is needed to understand how wildlife affects the epidemiology of HEV infections in Portugal.
- Evidence for sporadic Coxiella burnetii cxcretion in sheep and goat milk, Central Portugal.Publication . Pires, Humberto; Pereira, Maria A.; Nóbrega, Carmen; Cruz, Rita; Esteves, Fernando; Vala, Helena; Silva, Sérgio Santos; Barradas, Patrícia; Matos, Ana Cristina; Coelho, Ana Cláudia; Mesquita, João RodrigoEvidence for sporadic Coxiella burnetii cxcretion in sheep and goat milk, Central Portugal.
- Molecular evidence of sporadic Coxiella burnetii excretion in sheep milk, central PortugalPublication . Pires, Humberto; Silva, Sérgio Santos; Cruz, Andreia V.S.; Cardoso, Luís; Lopes, Ana Patrícia; Pereira, Maria A.; Nóbrega, Carmen; Mega, Ana Cristina; Santos, Carla; Cruz, Rita; Esteves, Fernando; Vala, Helena; Matos, Ana Cristina; Barradas, Patrícia F.; Coelho, Ana Cláudia; Mesquita, João RodrigoCoxiella burnetii is the etiologic agent of Q fever, a worldwide zoonosis. Cattle, sheep and goats are considered the main reservoirs of the disease. Transmission to humans occurs mainly through the inhalation of infectious aerosols from milk, faeces, urine, and birth products from infected ruminants. In this study, a 2-year longitudinal approach was performed to ascertain the excretion of C. burnetii in bulk tank milk samples of sheep from a mountain plateau in central Portugal, with sampling conducted during the years 2015 and 2016. From a total of 156 bulk tank milk samples tested by qPCR, only one showed to be positive for C. burnetii (1.28% [95%CI: 0.03–6.94]), from 2015, the first year of collection. Bidirectional sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of IS1111 transposase partial region confirmed the presence of C. burnetii DNA. The presence of C. burnetii in raw milk samples highlights the necessity for additional research to determine if raw milk is a potential source for human infection. Animal health surveillance and prevention measures against this zoonotic disease should be considered.
- Hunting for answers: Assessing Brucella spp. seroprevalence and risks in red deer and wild boar in Central PortugalPublication . Pires, Humberto; Cardoso, Luís; Lopes, Ana Patrícia; Fontes, Maria da Conceição; Silva, Sérgio Santos; Matos, Manuela; Pintado, Cristina Santos; Roque, Natália; Fonseca, Leonardo Filipe; Morgado, Inês; Dias, Ana Sofia; Figueira, Luis; Matos, Ana Cristina; Mesquita, João Rodrigo; Coelho, Ana CláudiaBetween 2016 and 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the central region of Portugal in order to better understand the epidemiology and public health risks resulting from the handling and consumption of game animals infected with Brucella spp. The seroprevalence and risk factors for Brucella spp. seropositivity were evaluated. Antibodies against Brucella spp. were determined using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Results showed that in the 650 serum samples collected from red deer (n = 298) and wild boars (n = 352) in Portugal, 21.7% (n = 141; 95% CI: 18.6–25.1%) tested positive. Wild boar had a significantly higher prevalence (35.5%; 95% CI: 30.5–40.8%) than red deer (5.4%, 95% CI: 3.1–8.6%; p ≤ 0.001). Risk factors for seropositivity were investigated using multivariable logistic regression models. The odds of being seropositive was 8.39 (95% CI: 4.75–14.84; p ≤ 0.001) times higher in wild boar than in red deer. Correlations between sex, age, body condition, and seropositivity could not be observed. The higher seroprevalence in wild boar suggests that this species may primarily contribute to the Brucella spp. ecology in central Portugal