Zoonotic bacterial infections associated with reproductive disorders in cattle and buffaloes: Implications for a One Health approach
3
Authors
-
Laxmi Narayan Sarangi
ICAR-National Institute on Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Bhubaneswar
-
Tejaswi Abhigna Gogikar
National Dairy Development Board Research and Development Laboratory, IIL Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
-
Vijay Shriram Bahekar
1National Dairy Development Board Research and Development Laboratory, IIL Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
-
Rachamreddy Venkata Chandrasekhar Reddy
National Dairy Development Board Research and Development Laboratory, IIL Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
-
Amitesh Prasad
National Dairy Development Board Research and Development Laboratory, IIL Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
-
Ponnanna Nadikerianda Muthappa Muthappa
National Dairy Development Board Research and Development Laboratory, IIL Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, India
Keywords:
Bovine Abortion; Retention of Placenta; Brucellosis, Q fever; LeptospirosisAbstract
Bovine reproductive disorders caused by infectious agents not only result in significant economic losses but also pose potential zoonotic risks, emphasizing the relevance of a One Health perspective. This study investigated the occurrence of four major zoonotic bacteria—Brucella spp., Leptospira spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Coxiella burnetii—in cattle and buffaloes affected by reproductive disorders such as abortion, retention of foetal membranes (RFM), and metritis in Gujarat, India. A total of 445 clinical specimens collected from 401 animals were screened using PCR and real-time PCR assays. Brucella, Leptospira, and Coxiella were detected in 18.5%, 22.2%, and 28.9% of specimens, respectively, while Listeria was not detected. Among 108 aborted animals, Brucella was most frequently detected (31.5%), followed by Coxiella (30.6%) and Leptospira (25%). In retention of foetal membrane (RFM) cases (n = 312), Coxiella (26.6%), Leptospira (23.1%) and Brucella (14.7%) predominated. Dual or mixed infections were observed in 11.2% of animals, with Brucella–Coxiella co-infections more common in cattle. Buffaloes were more susceptible to Leptospira, whereas Coxiella infections were more frequent in cattle, highlighting species-specific risk patterns. The study demonstrates frequent involvement of multiple zoonotic pathogens in bovine reproductive disorders and underscores the importance of integrated surveillance and control strategies that address both animal and human health. These findings provide critical insights to inform One Health-based interventions for managing zoonotic bacterial infections in livestock populations.
Downloads
References
1. Njiro S, Kidanemariam A G, Tsotetsi A M, Katsande T C, Mnisi M, Lubisi B A, Potts A D, Baloyi F, Moyo G, Mpofu J, Kalake A and Williams R. 2011. A study of some infectious causes of reproductive disorders in cattle owned by resource-poor farmers in Gauteng Province. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 82 (4): 213-18. https://doi.org/10.4102/jsava.v82i4.76
2. De Vries A. 2006. Economic value of pregnancy in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Sciences 89 (10): 3876-85. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(06)72430-4.
3. Deka R P, Magnusson U, Grace D and Lindahl J F. 2018. Bovine brucellosis: prevalence, risk factors, economic cost and control options with particular reference to India- a review. Infection Ecology and Epidemiology 8 (1): 1556548. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008686.2018.1556548
4. Dhand N K, Gumber S, Singh B B, Aradhana, Bali M S, Kumar H, Sharma D R, Singh J and Sandhu K S. 2005. A study on the epidemiology of brucellosis in Punjab (India) using Survey Toolbox. Revue scientifique et technique - Office international des épizooties 24 (3): 879-85. PMID: 16642758.
5. Laven R A and Peters A R. 1996. Bovine retained placenta: Aetiology, pathogenesis, and economic loss. Veterinary Record 139: 465–71. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.139.19.465
6. Beagley J C, Whitman K J, Baptiste K E and Scherzer J. 2010. Physiology and Treatment of retained fetal membranes in cattle. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 24 (2): 261-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0473.x
7. Kossaibati M A and Esslemont R J. 1997. The Costs of Production Diseases in Dairy Herds in England. The Veterinary Journal 154 (1): 41–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1090-0233(05)80007-3.
8. Cooper R L. 2014. Retained foetal membranes in cattle: the knowns and unknowns. Cattle Practice 22: 17–25.
9. Jones K E, Patel N G, Levy M A, Storeygard A, Balk D, Gittleman J L and Daszak P. 2008. Global trends in emerging infectious diseases. Nature 451 (7181): 990–3. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06536.
10. Salyer S J, Silver R, Simone K and Barton Behravesh C. 2017. Prioritizing Zoonoses for Global Health Capacity Building-Themes from One Health Zoonotic Disease Workshops in 7 Countries, 2014-2016. Emerging Infectious Diseases 23 (13): S55–64. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2313.170418.
11. Singh B B, Dhand N K and Gill J P S. 2015. Economic losses occurring due to brucellosis in Indian livestock populations. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 119 (3-4): 211–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2015.03.013
12. Capparelli R, Parlato M, Iannaccone M, Roperto S, Marabelli R, Roperto F and Iannelli D. 2009. Heterogeneous shedding of Brucella abortus in milk and its effect on the control of animal brucellosis. Journal of Applied Microbiology 106 (6): 2041-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2009.04177.x.
13. Jansen W, Demars A, Nicaise C, Godfroid J, de Bolle X, Reboul A and Al Dahouk S. 2020. Shedding of Brucella melitensis happens through milk macrophages in the murine model of infection. Scientific Reports 10 (1): 9421. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65760-0.
14. Costa F, Hagan J E, Calcagno J, Kane M, Torgerson P, Martinez-Silveira M S, Stein C, Abela-Ridder B and Ko A I. 2015. Global Morbidity and Mortality of Leptospirosis: A Systematic Review. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 9 (9): e0003898. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003898.
15. Levett P N. 2001. Leptospirosis. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 14 (2): 296-326. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.14.2.296-326.2001
16. Adler B and Moctezuma A P. 2010. Leptospira and leptospirosis. Veterinary Microbiology 140: 287–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2009.03.012
17. Arricau-Bouvery N and Rodolakis A. 2005. Is Q fever an emerging or re-emerging zoonosis? Veterinary Research 36 (3): 327-349. https://doi.org/10.1051/vetres:2005010
18. Lang G H. 1990. Coxiellosis (Q fever) in animals. (In) Q Fever. Volume I: The Disease, pp 23–48. Marrie, T J (Eds). C.R.C. Press, Boca Raton, U.S.A.,
19. Vidal S, Kegler K, Greub G, Aeby S, Borel N, Dagleish MP, Posthaus H, Perreten V and Rodriguez-Campos S. 2017. Neglected zoonotic agents in cattle abortion: tackling the difficult to grow bacteria. BMC Veterinary Research 13 (1) :373. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-017-1294-y.
20. Malik S V S, Barbuddhe S B and Chaudhari S P. 2002. Listeric infections in humans and animals in the Indian subcontinent: a review. Tropical Animal Health and Production 34 (5): 359-81. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1020051807594.
21. Guatteo R, Seegers H, Taurel AF, Joly A and Beaudeau F. 2011. Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii infection in domestic ruminants: a critical review. Veterinary Microbiology 149 (1–2):1–6. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.vetmic.2010.10.007
22. Ivanek R, Grohn Y T, Tauer L W and Wiedmann M. 2004. The cost and benefit of Listeria monocytogenes food safety measures. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 44 (7-8):513-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408690490489378.
23. Ferreira V, Wiedmann M, Teixeira P and Stasiewicz M J. 2014. Listeria monocytogenes persistence in food-associated environments: epidemiology, strain characteristics, and implications for public health. The Journal of Food Protection 77 (1):150-70. https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-13-150
24. Wang J, Joseph O, Della O, Leo L, Malcolm B, Philip W, Donna W, Roderick C, Georgina I, Kees V, Peter T, Mats I and Pierre K. 2007. Validation of a real-time PCR assay for the detection of bovine herpesvirus 1 in bovine semen. Journal of Virological Methods 144 (1-2):103–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jviromet.2007.04.002.
25. Mukherjee F, Nagmani K, Surendra K S N L, Subramanian B M, Bahekar V S, Prasad A, Rana S K, Muthappa P N, Sharma G K and Srinivasan V A. 2015. Optimization and validation of a diagnostic real-time PCR for bovine brucellosis. Advances in Animal and Veterinary Sciences 3 (11): 577-87. https://doi.org/10.14737/journal.aavs/2015/3.11.577.587
26. Sarangi L N, Supriya P, Rana S K, Bahekar V S, Surendra K S N L, Reddy R V C, Raichur A, Ponnanna N M, Sharma G K. 2020. Development and laboratory validation of duplex real-time PCR for simultaneous detection of Brucella and bovine herpesvirus-1 from clinical specimens. Veterinaria Italiana 56 (1): 35-41. https://doi.org/10.12834/VetIt.1728.9123.2
27. Klee S R, Tyczka J, Ellerbrok H, Franz T, Linke S, Baljer G and Appel B. 2006. Highly sensitive real-time PCR for specific detection and quantification of Coxiella burnetii. BMC Microbiology 6: 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2180-6-2.
28. Sarangi L N, Nazia T, Supriya P, Rana S K, Naveena T, Bahekar V S, Prasad A, Reddy R V C, Surendra K S N L, Hariprasad N G, Ponnanna N M and Sharma G K. 2021. Infectious bovine abortions: observations from an organized dairy herd. Brazilian Journal of Microbiology 52 (1): 439-48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-020-00414-x.
29. Paziak-Domanska B, Bogulawska E, Wiekowska-Szakiel M, Kotlowski R, Rozalska B, Chmiela M, Kur J, Dabrowski W and Rudnicka W. 1999. Evaluation of the API test, phosphatidylinositol- specific phospholipase C activity and PCR method in identification of Listeria monocytogenes in meat foods. FEMS Microbiology Letters 171 (2): 209–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.1999.tb13434.x.
30. Mérien F, Amouriaux P, Perolat P, Baranton G and Saint Girons I. 1992. Polymerase chain reaction for detection of Leptospira spp. in clinical samples. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 30 (9): 2219- 24. https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.30.9.2219-2224.1992.
31. Ahmed N, Devi S M, Valverde Mde L, Vijayachari P, Machang'u R S, Ellis W A and Hartskeerl R A. 2006. Multilocus sequence typing method for identification and genotypic classification of pathogenic Leptospira species. Annals of Clinical Microbiology 5: 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-0711-5-28.
32. da Silva T M A, de Oliveira R G, da Silva Mol J P, Xavier M N, da Paixão T A, Adriana Cortez A, Heinemann M B, Richtzenhain L J, Lage A P and de Lima Santos R. 2009. Etiologic diagnosis of bovine infectious abortion by PCR. Ciênc Rural 39 (9): 2563-70. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-84782009000900028
33. Mittal M, Sharma V, Nehra K, Chakravarti S, Kundu K, Bansal V K, Churamani C P and Kumar A. 2017. Abortions in an organized dairy farm from North India reveal the possibility of breed susceptibility to Bovine Brucellosis. One Health 5: 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2017.11.001
34. Moshkelani S, Javaheri-Koupaei M, Rabiee S and Moazeni M. 2011. Detection of Brucella spp. and Leptospira spp. by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from aborted bovine, ovine and caprine fetuses in Iran. African Journal of. Microbiology Research 5 (26): 4627-4630. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJMR11.760.
35. Fink J M, Moore G E, Landau R and Vemulapalli R. 2015. Evaluation of three 5' exonuclease-based real-time polymerase chain reaction assays for detection of pathogenic Leptospira species in canine urine. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 27 (2): 159-166. https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638715571360;
36. Gentilini F, Zanoni R G, Zambon E and Turba M E. 2015. A comparison of two real-time polymerase chain reaction assays using hybridization probes targeting either 16S ribosomal RNA or a subsurface lipoprotein gene for detecting leptospires in canine urine. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 27 (6): 696-703. https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638715610378.
37. Balamurugan V, Alamuri A, Veena S, Bharathkumar K, Patil S S and Govindaraj G. 2016a. Investigation on the prevalence of Leptospira serovar Hardjo in organized cattle dairy farms of India. The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences 86 (10):1145–1147.
https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJAnS/article/view/62406/25468
38. Roy M D, Jain R, Nagendra S and Tuteja U. 2014. Comparison of different PCR assays based on ribosomal and outer membrane protein genes for diagnosis of leptospirosis. International Journal of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences 5 (2): 465–74. http://www.ijpbs.net/.../3262_pdf.pdf
39. Balamurugan V, Thirumalesh SRA, Veena S, Alamuri A, Nagalingam M, Sridevi R, Govindaraj G, Hemadri D, Gajendragad M R and Rahman H. 2016b. Investigation on the distribution of leptospira serovars and its prevalence in bovine in Konkan region, Maharashtra, India. Advances in Animal and Veterinary Sciences 4 (2s): 19-26. https://doi.org/10.14737/journal.aavs/2016/4.2s.19.26
40. Grace D, Mutua F, Ochungo P, Kruska R L, Jones K, Brierley L, Lapar L, Said M, Herrero M, Phuc P D, Bich N, Akuku I and Ogutu F. 2012. Mapping of poverty and likely zoonoses hotspots. Zoonoses Project 4. pp. 119. Report to the UK Department for International Development. International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi. https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/21161/ZooMap_July2012_final.pdf
41. Parisi A, Fraccalvieri, R, Cafiero M, Miccolupo A, Padalino I, Montagna C, Capuano F and Sottili R. 2006. Diagnosis of Coxiella burnetii-related abortion in Italian domestic ruminants using single-tube nested PCR. Veterinary Microbiology 118 (1–2): 101–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2006.06.023
42. Kreizinger Z, Szeredi L, Bacsadi Á, Nemes C, Sugár L, Varga T, Sulyok K M, Szigeti A, Ács K, Tóbiás E, Borel N and Gyuranecz M. 2015. Occurrence of Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydiales species in abortions of domestic ruminants and in wild ruminants in Hungary, Central Europe. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 27 (2): 206–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638714563566
43. Keshavamurthy R, Singh B B, Kalambhe D G, Aulakh R S and Dhand N K. 2019. Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in cattle and buffalo populations in Punjab, India. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 166: 16-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.03.003.
44. Hird D W, Genigeorgis C, Miller A J, Smith J L and Somkutti G A. 1990. Listeriosis in Food Animals: Clinical Signs and Livestock as a Potential Source of Direct (Nonfoodborne) Infection for Humans. pp 31–39. Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
45. Shakuntala I, Malik S V S, Barbuddhe S B and Rawool D B. 2006. Isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from buffaloes with reproductive disorders and its confirmation by polymerase chain reaction. Veterinary Microbiology 117 (2-4): 229-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2006.06.018.
46. Barkallah M, Gharbi Y, Hassena A B, Slima A B, Mallek Z, Gautier M, Greub G, Gdoura R and Fendri I. 2014. Survey of infectious etiologies of bovine abortion during mid- to late gestation in dairy herds. PLoS One 9 (3): e91549. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0091549.
47. Díaz-Cao J M, Prieto A, López-Lorenzo G, Díaz-Fernández P, López-Sández C, Morrondo P and Fernández-Rodríguez G. 2018. Broadening the diagnosis panel of reproductive pathogens associated with abortion in ruminants. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 16 (2): e05SC01. https://doi.org/10.5424/sjar/2018162-12180
48. Yang N, Cui X, Qian, W, Yu S and Liu Q. 2012. Survey of nine abortifacient infectious agents in aborted bovine fetuses from dairy farms in Beijing, China, by PCR. Acta Veterinaria Hungarica 60 (1): 83-92. https://doi.org/10.1556/AVet.2012.007
Submitted
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The copyright of the articles published in The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences is vested with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, which reserves the right to enter into any agreement with any organization in India or abroad, for reprography, photocopying, storage and dissemination of information. The Council has no objection to using the material, provided the information is not being utilized for commercial purposes and wherever the information is being used, proper credit is given to ICAR.
How to Cite
