Index

e-ISSN 1828-1427

 

Rivista trimestrale di Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria edita dall'Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’

A quarterly journal devoted to veterinary public health, veterinary science and medicine published by the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’ in Teramo, Italy


Editorial policy
Copyright and disclaimers
Guidelines for Authors
Editors
Honorary Members
Editorial Board
Scientific Advisory Board
Associate Editors
Issues online
Tariffs
Contact
 

ISSUES ONLINE

2012 - Volume 48 (4), October-December
   
 
Massimo Giangaspero, Takeshi Osawa, Barbara Bonfini, Riccardo Orusa, Serena Robetto & Ryô Harasawa  
Serological screening of Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) and Brucella spp. in sheep flocks in the northern prefectures of Japan in 2007 357-365
       
Summary
Ovine sera collected from the northern Prefectures of Hokkaido, Iwate and Aomori in Japan, were examined for the presence of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) using the complement fixation test and, against Brucella spp., using both the rapid serum agglutination test and the complement fixation test. None of the sera tested were serologically positive to Brucella spp. A total of 21 animals (8.64%) out of 243 samples tested were seropositive to the C. burnetii antigen. Levels of infection were observed in all of the three Prefectures and in ten flocks of the fourteen sampled. Although no diagnostic measures were in place, the infection could not be linked to losses in sheep production or to the decreased fertility in ewes, a lower lambing rate and mortality in lambs. These data confirmed that Q fever is widespread in the sheep population in the area studied. Considering the zoonotic potential of the disease, further studies to investigate the epidemiology of Q fever in this region are required.

Keywords
Aomori, Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii, Hokkaido, Iwate, Japan, Q fever, Serology, Sheep.


Full article

     
 
    © Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise 2012