Seroprevalence of Q fever in small ruminants in the northeast Anatolian region in Turkey

Abstract

The aim of our study was to determine the seroepidemiological profile of Q fever in small ruminants in Turkey and to examine its prevalence changes over the years. The study included 573 serum samples taken in 2013 and 472 samples taken in 2017 from animals in mixed herds of sheep and goats from 84 farms in Northeast Anatolia. Phase I and phase II IgG antibodies against Coxiella burnetii in serum samples were investigated by IDEXX ELISA (Q fever Ab Test IDEXX Laboratories, USA) indirect ELISA kits. Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii IgG in Artvin, Gümüşhane and Iğdır provinces was 5.6% in sheep, 1.8% in goats and 4.5% in total in 2013. In contrast, it was 24.4% in sheep, 1.1% in goats and 20.1% in total in 2017. According to the total seroprevalence rates calculated by including both sheep and goat population, it was seen that the province with the highest seroprevalence change in these animals was Iğdır with a 7.3-fold increase. Herd-level seroprevalence was 29.4% in 2013 and 57.6% in 2017. According to these results, the C. burnetii IgG seroprevalence nearly doubled after four years. This increase has been evaluated as a major risk for animal and human health as well as for the livestock economy in Northeastern Anatolia, where animal husbandry is intense.