RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Jiao, Jun A1 Xiong, Xiaolu A1 Qi, Yong A1 Gong, Wenping A1 Duan, Changsong A1 Yang, Xiaomei A1 Wen, BohaiYR 2014 T1 Serological characterization of surface-exposed proteins of Coxiella burnetii JF Microbiology, VO 160 IS 12 SP 2718 OP 2731 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.082131-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2080, AB The obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii causes Q fever, a worldwide zoonosis. Here we labelled Cox . burnetii with biotin and used biotin-streptavidin affinity chromatography to isolate surface-exposed proteins (SEPs). Using two-dimensional electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry, we identified 37 proteins through bioinformatics analysis. Thirty SEPs expressed in Escherichia coli (recombinant SEPs, rSEPs) were used to generate microarrays, which were probed with sera from mice experimentally infected with Cox. burnetii or sera from Q fever patients. Thirteen rSEPs were recognized as seroreactive, and the majority reacted with at least 50 % of the sera from mice infected with Cox. burnetii but not with sera from mice infected with Rickettsia rickettsii, R. heilongjiangensis, or R. typhi. Further, 13 proteins that reacted with sera from patients with Q fever did not react with sera from patients with brucellosis or mycoplasma pneumonia. Our results suggest that these seroreactive SEPs have potential as serodiagnostic antigens or as subunit vaccine antigens against Q fever., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.082131-0