Department of Small Ruminant Health, Animal Health Service, Deventer, The Netherlands.
Prev Vet Med. 2013 Apr 1;109(1-2):76-82. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.09.002. Epub 2012 Sep 29.
At the end of 2007, the first year of what later turned out to be one of the largest Q fever outbreaks in the world with ultimately almost 3500 human patients notified in three years time, dairy goats were suspected to be the possible cause. However, current information on the Q fever prevalence in small ruminants in The Netherlands was lacking. A serological survey, using an indirect ELISA, was carried out in 15,186 sheep and goats in The Netherlands in 2008. In total, 2.4% (95% CI: 2.2-2.7) of the sheep and 7.8% (95% CI: 6.9-8.8) of the goats was seropositive for antibodies against Coxiella burnetii. In 14.5% (95% CI: 12.5-16.5) of the sheep flocks and 17.9% (95% CI: 14.2-21.5) of the goat herds at least one seropositive animal was found. In sheep flocks with at least one seropositive sheep, the within herd seroprevalence was 14.8% (95% CI: 12.6-17.0). In goat herds with at least one seropositive goat, the within herd seroprevalence was 29.0% (95% CI: 24.6-33.3). The seropositive sheep were equally distributed across the country. The seroprevalence in goats in the south-eastern part of The Netherlands, the area where most of the human Q fever cases were notified, was significantly higher than the seroprevalence in goats in the rest of The Netherlands. Dairy sheep and dairy goats had a significantly higher chance of being seropositive than non-dairy sheep and goats. During pregnancy and in the periparturient period, small ruminants tested significantly more often seropositive than in the early- or non-pregnant period. The seroprevalence as well as the true prevalence among small ruminants in The Netherlands were lower than prevalences reported elsewhere. The seroprevalence among sheep was also lower than reported in an earlier Dutch study in 1987. The Q fever seroprevalence was highest in pregnant and periparturient dairy goats in the south-eastern part of The Netherlands, which coincides with the region with the highest human incidence of Q fever.
2007 年底，世界上最大的 Q 热疫情之一爆发，三年间最终报告了近 3500 例人类病例，当时怀疑奶牛山羊可能是疫情的源头。然而，当时荷兰有关小反刍动物 Q 热流行率的信息却十分缺乏。2008 年，荷兰使用间接 ELISA 对 15186 只绵羊和山羊进行了血清学调查。结果显示，绵羊的血清阳性率为 2.4%（95%CI：2.2-2.7），山羊的血清阳性率为 7.8%（95%CI：6.9-8.8）。在 14.5%（95%CI：12.5-16.5）的绵羊群和 17.9%（95%CI：14.2-21.5）的山羊群中至少发现了一只血清阳性动物。在至少有一只血清阳性绵羊的绵羊群中，群内血清阳性率为 14.8%（95%CI：12.6-17.0）。在至少有一只血清阳性山羊的山羊群中，群内血清阳性率为 29.0%（95%CI：24.6-33.3）。血清阳性绵羊在全国范围内分布均匀。荷兰东南部地区（该地区报告了大部分人类 Q 热病例）山羊的血清阳性率显著高于荷兰其他地区的山羊。奶牛绵羊和奶牛山羊的血清阳性率明显高于非奶牛绵羊和山羊。在怀孕和围产期，小反刍动物的血清阳性检测结果明显高于非怀孕期和早期怀孕期。荷兰小反刍动物的血清阳性率和真实流行率低于其他地方报告的流行率。绵羊的血清阳性率也低于 1987 年荷兰的一项早期研究报告。在荷兰东南部，处于怀孕和围产期的奶牛山羊的 Q 热血清阳性率最高，这与 Q 热发病率最高的地区相吻合。
