title: Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii and Brucella spp. in tissues from subsistence harvested northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) of St. Paul Island, Alaska.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) is an important cultural and nutritional resource for the Aleut community on St. Paul Island Alaska. In recent years, an increasing number of zoonotic pathogens have been identified in the population, but the public health significance of these findings is unknown. To determine the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii and Brucella spp. in northern fur seal tissues, eight tissue types from 50 subsistence-harvested fur seals were tested for bacterial DNA by real-time polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 400 samples tested, only a single splenic sample was positive for Brucella spp. and the cycle threshold (ct) value was extremely high suggesting a low concentration of DNA within the tissue. C. burnetii DNA was not detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that the risk of humans contracting brucellosis or Q fever from the consumption of harvested northern fur seals is low.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Diagnostic Medical Center, 300 West Drake Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524, USA. Colleen.Duncan@colostate.edu.
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.affiliation: National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Mammal Lab, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, Washington, 98115, USA. Bobette.Dickerson@noaa.gov.
authors.forename: Bobette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dickerson
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Diagnostic Medical Center, 300 West Drake Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80524, USA. Kristy.Pabilonia@colostate.edu.
authors.forename: Kristy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pabilonia
authors.affiliation: CytoVet, 5916 Willow Lane, Dallas, Texas, 75239, USA. AmyMiller_DVM@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Mammal Lab, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, Washington, 98115, USA. Tom.Gelatt@noaa.gov.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gelatt
mesh_terms: D000413:Alaska / Q000453:epidemiology; D000818:Animals; D002002:Brucella / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D046069:Fur Seals; D015995:Prevalence; D011778:Q Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial