The Seroprevalence of Coxiellosis in Farmers and Cattle in Erzurum District in Turkey

Authors: ŞENAY SEYİTOĞLU, ZÜLAL ÖZKURT, UFUK DİNLER, BİRAY OKUMUŞ

Abstract: Coxiellosis is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii. This study conducted to determine the prevalence of coxiellosis in cattle and farmers in Eastern Turkey. A total of 230 cattle and 92 human sera were collected and tested for antibodies against C. burnetii by a commercial ELISA kit. The antibodies to C. burnetii were detected in 22 (9.56%) cattle and 18 (19.5%) healthy farmers. Seropositivity was found in 12 of 53 (22.6%) cattle with an abortion history, and 10 of 177 (5.6%) cattle without an abortion history (P < 0.05). There was a correlation between animal and human seroprevalence in the same district. It was observed that the seroprevalence of coxiellosis was higher in northern districts (32.4% in farmers and 15.4% in cattle) than in other districts (12.1% in farmers and 6.5% in cattle) both for humans and animals (P < 0.05). Coxiellosis was an important health problem in both humans and cattle, and the disease may cause abortion in cattle in Eastern Turkey.

Keywords: Coxiellosis, Q fever, Coxiella burnetii, farmer, cattle

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