Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran.
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran.
Int J Food Microbiol. 2020 Oct 16;331:108716. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108716. Epub 2020 Jun 5.
Q fever is a common zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution. The causative agent of Q fever is Coxiella burnetii, a gram-negative and polymorphic rod bacterium. Sheep and goats are the primary reservoirs of this disease, although a variety of animal species can be infected. The main route of Q fever transmission from animals to humans is the inhalation of contaminated aerosols with C. burnetii. The bacterium is excreted in milk of infected animals and therefore; the consumption of unpasteurized milk and dairy products might be a route of coxiella burnetii transmission from animals to humans. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of C. burnetii in milk samples collected from sheep and goats in west Azerbaijan province, Iran. During 2018, a total number of 420 milk samples were collected from sheep (n = 210) and goats (n = 210) of different regions of the province. All milk samples were subjected to DNA extraction and examined by a highly and specific nested-PCR method. The results showed that 51 (12.1%) (95% CI: 9.3%-15.6%) examined samples [sheep; n = 16 (7.6%) and goat; n = 35 (16.6%)] were positive for C. burnetii. The prevalence of C. burnetii in goat milk samples was significantly higher than sheep milk samples (P < 0.05). The shedding of C. burnetii in milk was significantly higher in summer (25%) (P < 0.05, 95% CI: 17.7%-34%) than the other seasons. It was concluded that sheep and goat populations in west Azerbaijan play an important role in the epidemiology of Q fever.
Q 热是一种常见的具有世界分布的动物源性传染病。该病的病原体是贝氏柯克斯体，一种革兰氏阴性多形杆菌。绵羊和山羊是该疾病的主要宿主，但多种动物物种都可能受到感染。从动物到人类的 Q 热传播的主要途径是吸入含有贝氏柯克斯体的污染气溶胶。该细菌从受感染动物的牛奶中排出，因此，食用未经巴氏消毒的牛奶和奶制品可能是从动物到人类传播柯克斯体的途径之一。本研究旨在确定伊朗东阿塞拜疆省绵羊和山羊奶样中贝氏柯克斯体的流行情况。在 2018 年，从该省不同地区采集了总共 420 份绵羊（n=210）和山羊（n=210）的奶样。所有奶样均进行 DNA 提取，并通过高度特异性的嵌套 PCR 方法进行检测。结果显示，51 份（12.1%）（95%置信区间：9.3%-15.6%）检测样本[绵羊；n=16（7.6%）和山羊；n=35（16.6%）]为贝氏柯克斯体阳性。山羊奶样中贝氏柯克斯体的流行率明显高于绵羊奶样（P<0.05）。夏季（25%）（P<0.05，95%置信区间：17.7%-34%）的贝氏柯克斯体脱落率明显高于其他季节。因此可以得出结论，东阿塞拜疆的绵羊和山羊群体在 Q 热的流行病学中起着重要作用。
