%0 Journal Article
%T No indication of Coxiella burnetii infection in Norwegian farmed ruminants
%A Annette H Kampen
%A Petter Hopp
%A Gry M Gr£¿neng
%A Ingrid Melkild
%A Anne Urdahl
%A Ann-Charlotte Karlsson
%A Jorun Tharaldsen
%J BMC Veterinary Research
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1746-6148-8-59
%X Milk and blood samples from more than 3450 Norwegian dairy cattle herds, 55 beef cattle herds, 348 dairy goat herds and 118 sheep flocks were serologically examined for antibodies against C. burnetii. All samples were negative for antibodies against C. burnetii. The estimated prevalences of infected herds were 0 (95% confidence interval: 0% - 0.12%), 0 (0% - 12%), 0 (0% - 1.2%) and 0 (0% - 10%) for dairy cattle herds, beef cattle herds, goat herds and sheep flocks, respectively.The study indicates that the prevalence of C. burnetii infection in farmed Norwegian ruminants is low, and it cannot be excluded that Norway is free of the infection. It would be beneficial if Norway was able to maintain the current situation. Therefore, preventive measures should be continued.Q-fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Most mammals and birds are susceptible to the bacterium. Natural reservoirs are a large variety of ticks and wild vertebrates, primarily rodents [1], but farmed ruminants are considered the main reservoir for transmission to humans [2,3]. Usually infected animals are asymptomatic carriers. If symptoms occur in mammals, they are most often related to the reproductive system [4]. In cattle, C. burnetii infection may cause metritis, reduced fertility and occasionally abortions [5-7]. In sheep and goats, abortions and stillbirths are more common than in cattle [6], and epidemics with abortion or non-viable progeny of more than 50% of pregnant animals in goat herds [8] and within groups of sheep flocks [9] have been reported. Infection with C. burnetii in humans is often asymptomatic, but may occur in an acute form with fever, pneumonia and/or hepatitis or in a severe chronic form with endocarditis that may be lethal if not treated [10].Infected animals, including healthy carriers, may shed large quantities of the bacteria in amniotic fluids, placenta and vaginal excretes in relation to birth, and intermittently in milk an
%K Coxiella burnetii
%K ELISA
%K Freedom from disease
%K Q-fever
%K Serology
%K Ruminants
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1746-6148/8/59