title: Seroprevalence of Q Fever (Coxiellosis) in Small Ruminants of Two Districts in Punjab, Pakistan.
abstract: Coxiellosis caused by Coxiella burnetii is a cosmopolitan zoonosis, which causes significant losses through abortions and stillbirths in small ruminants. A cross-sectional seroprevalence study was conducted in two major sheep and goat farming districts of Punjab (Layyah and Muzaffargarh), Pakistan. In total, 542 small ruminants (271 sheep and goats each) of both sexes (60 males and 482 females) of different age groups from 104 flocks (52 flocks of either species) were randomly selected for the collection of sera and related epidemiological information. The sampling plan was devised at the expected prevalence of 50%, confidence interval (CI) of 95%, and error margin of 5%. A commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA; ID Vet) was used to test the samples for the presence of both phase I and II antibodies. A high herd level prevalence (73.1%, 95% CI 63.5-81.3) was recorded in the studied districts. Individual level seroprevalence was recorded as 30.8% (95% CI 26.9-34.9). Higher value was recorded in females (32%) when compared with males (21.7%). Higher prevalence (34.8%, 95% CI 21.4-50.2) was observed in animals of 1 year (nulliparous) than to primiparous (24.8%, 95% CI 17.4-33.5) and multiparous (32.3%, 95% CI 27.6-37.3) animals. Univariable analysis indicated that caprine species (odds ratio [OR] 1.96, p = 0.22), females (OR = 1.70, p = 0.104), infestation with ticks (OR = 234.39, p < 0.001), abortion history (OR 1.96, p = 0.14), retention of fetal membranes (OR 1.50, p = 0.35), keeping a single breed in a herd (OR 1.50, p = 0.56), and mixed feeding management (OR 1.37, p = 0.33) were the variables found associated with high prevalence of antibodies to C. burnetii. The study indicates that seroprevalence of coxiellosis was high in the studied small ruminant population and further studies are required to discern its epidemiology more precisely.
authors.affiliation: 1 Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture , Faisalabad, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Muhammad Usman
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Zahid
authors.affiliation: 1 Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture , Faisalabad, Pakistan .|2 Animal Health Research Center , Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Muscat, Oman .
authors.forename: Muhammad Hammad
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: 1 Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture , Faisalabad, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saqib
authors.affiliation: 3 Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Friedrich Loeffler Institute , Jena, Germany .
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neubauer
authors.affiliation: 1 Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture , Faisalabad, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Ghazanfar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.affiliation: 4 Section of Epidemiology and Public Health, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences , Jhang, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Iahtasham
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: 2 Animal Health Research Center , Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Muscat, Oman .
authors.forename: Muhammad Khalid
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Mansoor
authors.affiliation: 2 Animal Health Research Center , Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Muscat, Oman .
authors.forename: Muhammad Nadeem
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Asi
authors.affiliation: 1 Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture , Faisalabad, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Tanveer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: 1 Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Agriculture , Faisalabad, Pakistan .
authors.forename: Ghulam
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muhammad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D016997:Coxiella burnetii; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006041:Goats; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D011778:Q Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial
keywords: Coxiellosis; ELISA; Goats; Pakistan; Seroprevalence; Sheep