Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) seroprevalence in cattle

Conall McCaughey, Liam Murray, J.P. McKenna, F.D. Menzies, S.J. McCullough, H.J. O'Neill, D.E. Wyatt, Christopher Cardwell, Peter Coyle

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

99 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Human cases of Q fever appear to be common in Northern Ireland compared to the rest of the British Isles. The purpose of this study was to describe the seroepidemiology of Coxiella burnetii infection in cattle in Northern Ireland in terms of seroprevalence and determinants of infection. A total of 5182 animals (from a stratified systematic random sample of 273 herds) were tested with a commercial C. burnetii phase 2 IgG ELISA. A total of 6.2% of animals and 48.4% of herds tested positively. Results from a multilevel logistic regression model indicated that the odds of cattle being infected with Q fever increased with age, Friesian breed, being from large herds and from dairy herds. Large dairy herd animal prevalence was 12.5% compared to 2.1% for small beef herds. Preliminary seroprevalence in sheep (12.3%), goats (9.3%), pigs (0%) rats (9.7%) and mice (3.2%) using indirect immunofluorescence is reported.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)21-27
Number of pages7
JournalEpidemiology and Infection
Volume138
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2010

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) seroprevalence in cattle'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this