PCR Detection of Coxiella burnetii in Milk Samples of Ruminants, Iran

Background: The importance of common diseases between humans and animals (zoonosis), and whose health impacts on the community individuals are obvious to everyone. One of these diseases is human infection with Coxiella burnetii and Q fever. Due to the importance of this subject and lack of published documents regarding the presence and distribution of this bacterium in Lorestan province, we aimed to determine the prevalence of C. burnetii in this area. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2013 to March 2014. A total of 500 raw milk samples was collected from 130 cattle, 200 sheep, and 170 goats in both warm and cold seasons from 20 selected villages in Khorramabad and Nourabad regions, Lorestan province, Iran. The presence of C. burnetii in collected specimens was tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: A total of 9 (1.8%) milk specimens were positive for the presence of C. burnetii (3 sheep milk samples and 6 goat milk samples). All positive milk samples were obtained from 2 villages (Daraei and Ghalebi) around of the Khorramabad region during the winter season. However, all collected samples from Nourabad were negative for presence of C. burnett. Conclusion: The presence of C. burnetii in raw milk of ruminants in the cold seasons could be related to climate changes. Therefore, further investigations via various methods seems to be needed.