Coxiella burnetii proteins

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium and the causative agent of Q fever, a zoonotic disease that manifests as either an acute self-limiting illness or a severe chronic infection, often presenting as endocarditis (NIH StatPearls, 2023). The term "Coxiella burnetii proteins" refers to the entire proteome of the pathogen, which contains approximately 2,000 proteins that enable its survival and replication within the acidic environment of the host's phagolysosome (UniProt, 2024). Key therapeutic targets within this proteome include the 30S ribosomal subunit proteins targeted by tetracyclines and DNA gyrase/topoisomerase enzymes targeted by fluoroquinolones (PubMed, 2017). Furthermore, the Dot/Icm Type IV Secretion System (T4SS) is a critical virulence factor that translocates effector proteins into the host cell to modulate immune responses and maintain the Coxiella-containing vacuole (PubMed, 2011). Because the bacterium is sequestered in acidic vacuoles, clinical management of chronic cases often requires a combination of doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine, the latter of which alkalinizes the vacuole to enhance antibiotic efficacy (CDC, 2022). This target entry is marked as incorrect for structure because it represents a collective bacterial proteome rather than a single specific molecular target.

Other names

C. burnetii proteomeQ fever agent proteinsCoxiella burnetii antigens

Drugs targeting this proteome work by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis (via the 30S ribosomal subunit), inhibiting DNA replication (via DNA gyrase and Topoisomerase IV), or disrupting metabolic pathways such as folic acid synthesis.