Q Fever in Dogs; an Emerging Infectious Disease in Iran

Q fever is an important widespread reemerging zoonosis. The presence of C. burnetii in 100 tick-infested dogs was assessed in this study.
The blood samples from 100 referred dogs were acquired and evaluated by nested-PCR.
C. burnetii was detected in 11 out of 100 (11%) blood samples. Most of the positive dogs were kept outdoor and fed on raw diet. Based on our findings, Q fever should be considered as an emerging disease in dogs in Iran; so, zoonotic importance of this population must be notified. To better understanding the role and pathogenic importance of dogs in Q fever outbreak and to determine whether this organism can be transmitted directly from dogs to human further in-depth studies are necessary.
It is determined that C. burnetii is present in dogs in southeast of Iran and people who are in contact with this population, especially asymptomatic ones are at increased risk of infection.