Sero-detection of Coxiella burnetii infection in cattle, sheep and goats in selected regions of Nepal

Coxiella burnetii, a Gram-negative bacterium is a zoonotic agent causing coxiellosis in animals. Small ruminants and cattle are the primary reservoirs for human infection. This study was aimed to estimate the sero-prevalence of C. burnetii in the ruminants of the selected region in Nepal. Field visits were carried out at four sites in different geographical regions of Nepal. A total of 522 sera samples were collected from 118 sheep, 242 goats and 162 cattle with the history of abortion, anoestrus and infertility. Sera were tested for the presence of antibodies against C. burnetii using a commercially available ready-to-use ELISA test kit. The overall true sero-prevalence was 1.89% (95% CI: 0.33-3.45), the prevalence ranged between 4.35% and 23.21% in goats. Sero-prevalence in goat was higher than that of cattle and sheep which ascertained that total freedom from coxiellosis cannot be confirmed in Nepal. This could complement the impacts of other infectious causes of the infertility in the farm animals as well as the public health of the farming households.