Mahdieh REZAEI, Mohammad KHALILI, Farnoush Bakhshaee SHAHRBABAKI, Zeinab ABIRI

Detection of C. burnetii in Uterine Samples Collected from Referred Dogs to the Veterinary Hospital of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman by Nested Trans-PCR

Q fever, a universal zoonotic disease, is caused by Coxiella burnetii. Dogs are considered as a reservoir of this bacterium and can infect people and other animals by shedding this pathogen in excretions. In this study, we determine the existence of the causative agent of Q fever in the uterine samples of dogs attending to the veterinary animal hospital of Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman. Specimens were collected and assessed for the presence of C. burnetii by nested Trans-PCR. C. burnetii was molecularly identified in 5 out of 41 (12.1%) collected samples. This study is the first known identification of C. burnetii in the uterine of dogs in Kerman, Iran. According to our findings, dogs should be considered as an important source of this zoonotic pathogen. Detection of C. burnetii in uterine samples emphasizes the need for the further investigations on Q fever in small animals in this area.

Kerman Shahid Bahonar Üniversitesi Veteriner Hastanesi’ne Getirilen Köpeklerden Toplanan Uterus Örneklerinde Nested Trans-PCR ile C. burnetii Saptanması

Tüm dünyada yaygın zoonotik bir hastalık olan Q-Humması’nın etkeni Coxiella burnetii’dir. Köpekler bu bakterinin rezervuarıdır ve tüm eskretleri ile etkeni saçarak insanları ve diğer hayvanları enfekte edebilirler. Bu çalışmada Kerman Shahid Bahonar Üniversitesi Veteriner Hastanesi’ne getirilen köpeklerin uterus örneklerinde Q-Humması etkeninin varlığını belirledik. Örnekler toplanarak Nested Trans-PCR ile C. burnetii varlığı değerlendirildi. Toplanan 41 örneğin 5’inde (%12,1) etken moleküler düzeyde identifiye edildi. Bu çalışma, İran Kerman’da köpeklerin uterus dokularında saptanmış ilk C. burnetii olgusudur. Bulgularımıza göre köpekler, bu zoonoz hastalığın önemli bir kaynağıdır. Uterus örneklerinde etkenin saptanması, bu bölgedeki küçük hayvanlarda Q-Humması’nın daha ayrıntılı bir şekilde araştırılması gerekliliğini vurgulamaktadır.

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