Detection of Coxiella burnetti by DNA amplification using polymerase chain reaction

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the detection of Coxiella burnetti, an obligate intracellular bacterium and the etiologic agent of Q fever. A pair of primers derived from the C. burnetii superoxide dismutase gene served to amplify a targeted 257-bp fragment of genomic DNA. These primers were chosen on the basis of GenBank analysis, G + C ratio, and absence of secondary structure. This technique allowed the detection of as few as 10 C. burnetii organisms. C. burnetti was detected in tissue culture and in specimens from patients (heart valves). In all, 8 reference isolates and 22 new isolates of C. burnetii from France were successfully amplified. No amplification products were found when PCR was performed with 25 bacterial species that had been isolated in a clinical laboratory from patients with clinically similar infections. Amplification products of C. burnetii were confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion and dot blot hybridization. The method used here, a combination of PCR and restriction analysis, is a faster and more sensitive assay for C. burnetii than standard culture techniques.