Detection of Coxiella burnetii in ovine bulk milk samples in Fars, Khuzestan, Ghom and Kerman provinces using PCR assay

Q fever is a zoonosis disease caused by an obligate intracellular organism Coxiella burnetii. Raw milk or dairy products that are produced by unpasteurized milk may contain virulent Coxiella burnetii. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence rate of C. burnetii in bulk milk samples from dairy sheep herds in Fars، Ghom، Kerman، Khuzestan and Yazd provinces، Iran. In the present study، 183 bulk milk samples from 59 dairy sheep herds were tested for C. burnetii using a nested PCR assay. The animals which their milk samples collected for this study were clinically healthy. In total، 3 of 183 (1. 6%) ovine bulk milk samples were positive; the positive samples originated from 2 of 21 (9. 5%) sheep breeding farms in Yazd. All bulk milk samples collected in Fars، Khuzestan، Ghom and Kerman were negative. Although no extensive prevalence study was undertaken، the results of this study indicate that clinically healthy dairy sheep in are important sources of C. burnetii infection. In conclusion، the results of the present study showed the importance of periodically monitoring the prevalence rate of C. burnetii in milk samples from dairy sheep herds in different provinces، Iran.