Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Coxiella burnetii is the infectious agent of great importance in veterinary and human medicine. Infected animals are usually with no clinical symptoms but may exude Coxiella burnetii in large quantities over a long period of time. Long-term survival of pathogen in the external environment and low infectious dose for humans additionally provide importance of this cause. Domestic animals are the most important source of infection for humans and they are especially important in cattle sheep and goats. We should emphasize the importance of small ruminants during birth or abortion as a source for the spread of infection by forming infectious aerosols. Excretion through milk is most important in cattle and in small ruminants through feces, urine and lochia. Herd may be with small percentage of infected animals, less than 5%, but there are herds where the percentage of infected animals is over 80%. Coxiella burnetii is held in the air and carried by the wind can be transferred at a distance up to one mile so human infection with this bacteria may occur even though they were not in direct contact with the animals. Transfer to humans through milk of infected animals has not been proven it is only proven the possibility of seroconversion. In the period of 30 months was carried out surveillance on a dairy farm over a group of animals that were serologically positive for Q fever. The dynamics of pathogens secretion through milk and the occurrence of clinical symptoms that may indicate the infection were observed. From a total of nine experimental animals abortion was detected in only one cow in the fourth month of pregnancy. In all animals the application of the PCR method showed intermittently secretion through milk The lowest intensity of secretion through milk was during the first 60 days of lactation (16.6%) and highest in the period from 60 to 180 days of lactation (80%). PCR positive results obtained by testing of tank milk on the farm is not proof that the milk present infectious form of Coxiella burnetii.
Institution: University of Novi Sad
Language: sh
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Award: G2725150467
OpenAlex ID: W2473131237