First Insight into the Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii Infection among Veterinary Medicine Students in Bulgaria

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of <i>Coxiella burnetii</i> infection among veterinary medicine students from two Bulgarian Universities, located in Sofia and Stara Zagora. Blood samples were collected from a total of 185 veterinary students for the detection of <i>C. burnetii</i> phase II antibodies and presence of DNA using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and end-point PCR test. Out of all samples, 29.7% were positive for at least one <i>C. burnetii</i> phase II antibody marker or by the result of the PCR test. Veterinary students from Stara Zagora showed a significantly high seropositivity for Q fever (33.6%), as compared to the students in Sofia (23%; <i>p</i> < 0.05). Evidence of recent exposure with detection of anti-<i>C. burnetii</i> phase II IgM (+) antibodies was observed in 14.6% of the students under study. Seroprevalence among students in Stara Zagora was higher (15.3%). Anti-<i>C. burnetii</i> phase II IgG antibodies were detected in 21.6% of examined samples. Our study revealed a higher seropositivity among the male students (32.8%) as compared to females (16.0%; <i>p</i> < 0.05). The end-point PCR assay detected 5.9% blood samples as positive. The relative risk (RR) of Q fever exposure for male students was 40.7%, whereas it was 24.6% in females (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The findings from this study indicate that the <i>C. burnetii</i> infection is widely distributed amongst veterinary students in Bulgaria. This study emphasizes the need for improved safety protocols and infection control measures in veterinary training programs.