Consortium gets to work on mapping

Institutes from six European countries join forces to gain extra information on the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. This bacterium is for the causal agent of Q fever, a zoonotic infection. The consortium is to start work in May of this year. Extensive research is planned for the coming years. The objective is to improve molecular surveillance and assess the host adaptation and virulence of C. burnetii in Europe.

Cattle, sheep and goats are the main reservoir and shedders of C. burnetii. People can become infected with C. burnetii, mainly due to inhalation of the bacterium. We discussed the ICRADproject Q-Net-Asses with René van den Brom, manager of the small ruminants department at GD, and the role played by him on behalf of GD.

How did you come to participate in this project?

“A number of the GD staff, including myself, had spoken with Julie Fitzpatrick and Tom McNeilly of the Moredun Research Institute regarding the options for collaboration, back in May 2021. Following on from our meeting, the option of a European project for Q fever came into being. The One Health principle and surveillance are important in this case. Tom McNeilly is responsible for the overall coordination of the project. Q fever is one of the disorders which can be transferred from animals to humans (zoonoses). This disorder has been documented in virtually all countries of the world, with the exception of New Zealand. In the Netherlands, certain groups of small ruminants are compulsory vaccinated against Q fever since the largest described Q fever outbreak that has been described occurred in