title: Prevalence of Antibodies Against Coxiella burnetii in Korean Native Cattle, Dairy Cattle, and Dogs in South Korea.
abstract: Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic agent and causes coxiellosis, which is a cause of reproductive failure in a range of animal species, including abortion and stillbirth and Q fever, which is most often characterized by an acute flu-like illness, mild pneumonia, and/or hepatitis in humans. While livestock are well recognized worldwide as a source of infection, the zoonotic risk of C. burnetii infection in companion animals such as dogs may be overlooked. For serological diagnosis, indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are generally considered good methods for prevalence surveys of coxiellosis. In this study, we conducted a nationwide survey of the seroprevalence of previous exposure to C. burnetii in dogs, dairy cattle, and Korean native cattle (a primarily beef breed) in South Korea. Serum samples obtained from 3087 Korean native cattle, 1224 dairy cattle, and 1023 dogs were collected from eight provinces in South Korea, and IFA and ELISA were performed to test for seropositivity. The prevalence of C. burnetii was 1.7% in Korean native cattle, 10.5% in dairy cattle, and 2.9% in dogs. This is the first report identifying previous exposure to C. burnetii in South Korean dogs. Furthermore, the presence of C. burnetii antibodies in companion and feral dogs indicates that dogs can be a potential reservoir species for zoonotic risk of C. burnetii infection in South Korea. Therefore, more detailed studies aiming to clarify epidemiological factors should be performed in the future.
authors.affiliation: 1 Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Chonbuk National University , Iksan, South Korea .
authors.forename: Kwang-Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lyoo
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon, South Korea .
authors.forename: Doo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Veterinary Medicine, Chonbuk National University , Iksan, South Korea .
authors.forename: Hyung Gwan
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon, South Korea .
authors.forename: Seung-Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: 4 Center for Immunology & Pathology , Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju, South Korea .
authors.forename: Mi Yeoun
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon, South Korea .|6 Institute of Veterinary Medical Science, Kangwon National University , Chuncheon, South Korea .
authors.forename: Tae-Wook
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Hahn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000276:immunology*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004285:Dogs; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D015995:Prevalence; D011778:Q Fever / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G
keywords: Coxiella burnetii; Q fever; South Korea; seroprevalence