Figure 3 Map of Spain showing sampling sites, type of samples and results. Among livestock samples, those from sheep (15 samples from 8 provinces) were found belonging to GG I, II, III, IV and VIII; goats (7 samples from 4 provinces) were infected with GG III, IV and VIII; cattle (7 samples from 4 provinces) were all infected by GG III; rats (3 samples selleck kinase inhibitor from 1 province) and a wild boar showed GG IV; finally, 33 ticks of 3 species, from 4 areas

of 2 adjacent regions, carried always GG VII, except for one that carried GG VI. In summary, samples from GG I, II, III, IV, VI, VII and VIII were identified (Additional file 1: Table S1; Table 2, Figures 2 and 3). adaA detection Samples from GG I, II and III were always adaA positive; all GG IV were adaA negative, except for a sheep placenta

that was adaA positive; GG VII samples were adaA negative, except for a tick specimen; GG VIII samples were positive, except for a human sample of acute hepatitis; finally, the this website only sample available from GG VI (one H. AR-13324 supplier lusitanicum tick) was adaA negative (Additional file 1: Table S1, Table 2, Figure 2). All the samples from cases of acute FID with liver involvement (10 samples ifenprodil from 3 distant regions; Figure 3) were adaA negative and the only sample available from a patient with pneumonia was adaA positive. In summary, from the theoretically possible 16 GT (8 GG positive or negative for adaA), 10 were identified in the samples studied (Table 2).

Discussion A multiplex PCR coupled with hybridization by RLB for the characterization of C. burnetii was designed, allowing for its classification into the previously known 8 GG [15] and into up to 16 genotypes, depending on adaA presence/absence. For validation, 15 reference strains characterized in previous studies were used (Additional file 1: Table S1). All of them fell in the same GGs as previously described, when data was available, or grouped in the same clade as described [8–10, 12, 13]. Consequently, an excellent correlation with some previously published schemes and, specifically, with the microarray-based whole genome typing of Beare et al. [15] was observed: the 4 isolates studied by Beare et al. that were also analyzed in this study (NMI, GG I; Henzerling, GG II; Priscilla, GG IV; and Scurry Q217, GG V) were classified with this method into the same GG as described. Also, the analysis of the results by InfoQuest disclosed a tree whose topology was similar to that of Beare et al.