Q fever is a worldwide zoonotic disease, caused by Coxiellaburnetii (C. burnetii), an obligate intracellular bacterium. The epidemiological data about the Q fever situation in Egypt is limited.The present study investigated the seroprevalence of Q fever among small ruminants in some localities in thenorthern Egypt and reported the shedders using specific real-time PCR (Rt-PCR). A total of 190 sera and vaginalswabs (110 sheep and 80 goats) were collected from aborted cases. Indirect ELISA was used to detect specificantibodies against C. burnetii, and Rt-PCR was used to detect DNA in the shedder animals. The study revealedthat infection was significantly higher in sheep (22.7%) than in goats (12.5%) (p< 0.05). The Menoufia andGharbia governorates had 20% seropositive animals while Qalubia and Alexandria had 15% and 17.5% ser-opositive animals, respectively. Using aRt - PCR assay, C. burnetii was detected in 33.6% and 16.3% of sheep andgoats, respectively. The findings of the study demonstrate that Q fever may be enzootic among small ruminantsand distributed in the northern Egyptian Governorates. Further studies are needed in different regions to gainbetter understanding of the epidemiology of Q fever all over the country and to develop an appropriate preventive strategy for human and animals. |
