Occurrence and risk factors of Coxiella burnetii in domestic ruminants in Lebanon.

Occurrence and risk factors of Coxiella burnetii in domestic ruminants in Lebanon. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 2019 Jun;64:109-116 Authors: Dabaja MF, Greco G, Villari S, Vesco G, Bayan A, Bazzal BE, Ibrahim E, Gargano V, Sciacca C, Lelli R, Ezzedine M, Mortada H, Tempesta M, Mortada M Abstract Coxiella burnetii causes diseases in humans (Q fever) and animals, domestic ruminants playing a major role in the epidemiology of the infection. Information on C. burnetii infection in Lebanon is scanty. In order to assess the prevalence of C. burnetii infection in ruminants, a cross-sectional study was undertaken in 2014. A total of 1633 sera from ruminants (865 cattle, 384 sheep and 384 goats) from 429 farms (173 cattle, 128 sheep and 128 goats), in seven provinces of Lebanon were randomly selected and assayed for the presence of antibodies. 39.86% of farms (95% CI: 35.23-44.56) resulted positive. The seroprevalence was 30.63% in Cattle-farms, 46.88% in sheep-farms and 45.31% in goat-farms. Milk samples collected from 282 seropositive animals (86 cows, 93 sheep and 103 goats) from 171 positive farms were tested by a high sensitive Real-Time PCR targeted to the IS1111 transposon of C. burnetii. The overall prevalence in farms was estimated to be 14.04%. Cattle-, sheep- and goat farm prevalence rates were 15.09%, 10% and 17.24%, respectively. The findings of the study show that C. burnetii prevalence in Lebanese domestic ruminants is re...
Source: Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases. - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis Source Type: research