Detection of Coxiella burnetii in vaginal samples of goats and sheep with abortion history in Western Iran

Background Q fever has been neglected as a zoonotic disease in many developing countries. Recent studies indicate that Q fever is an endemic disease in Iran. Nevertheless, epidemiological data have not yet been collected from some parts of Iran. This study aimed to conduct a molecular investigation of Coxiella burnetii infection among small ruminants with a history of abortion in western Iran. Methods In this study, 315 vaginal discharge samples were collected from goats and sheep with a history of abortion in different counties of the Kurdistan province. Genomic DNA was extracted from the collected samples and tested for detection of IS1111 elements of C. burnetii using qPCR. Results C. burnetii was detected in 4.1% of the vaginal samples. The prevalence of C. burnetii in goats and sheep was 3.3% and 5.9%, respectively. The highest infection rate was observed in Bijar county (17.8%). Conclusion In this study, the presence of C. burnetii in vaginal samples from small ruminants was confirmed in western Iran. Shedding of this bacterium by infected livestock poses a risk of spreading the infection to other livestock and the possibility of transmitting the infection to humans; therefore, the health system must be vigilant in this regard.