Shedding light on risk: Seroprevalence of Q fever among farm animals and workers in Ecuador
Q fever, caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, is a zoonotic disease that has been largely overlooked despite presenting significant risks to both animal and public health. Although well studied in some countries, in most countries in Latin America, there's a lack of information on C. burnetii...
| Autores principales: | , , , , |
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| Formato: | info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
Elsevier
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/21864 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352771424002659 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2024.100939 |
| Sumario: | Q fever, caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, is a zoonotic disease that has been largely overlooked despite presenting significant risks to both animal and public health. Although well studied in some countries, in most countries in Latin America, there's a lack of information on C. burnetii infection, its prevalence, and its impact on both livestock and human populations. To address this gap, we conducted a serosurvey among farm workers, cattle, sheep, and dogs on two dairy farms in Ecuador using a commercial ELISA kit. Additionally, we conducted a case-control study in cattle to investigate the association between C. burnetii infection and abortion. The findings revealed that 18 % of farm workers, 30 % of dogs, 25 % of cattle and 2 % of sheep tested positive for Q fever antibodies. Interestingly, no significant association between C. burnetii infection and abortion was observed in cattle (p < 0.05) but a high Neospora caninum seroprevalence indicated a strong link to abortion due to this parasite infection. The results highlight the presence of Q fever in both humans and animals on the surveyed farms, with farm dogs showing the highest seroprevalence. A point of concern arises from the significant prevalence of antibodies detected among farm workers, suggesting a potential history of unconfirmed symptomatic respiratory infections caused by a C. burnetii infection. However, further investigations are necessary to better understand the infection dynamics and its potential implications for public and animal health. |
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