Geographical Variation in Coxiella burnetii Seroprevalence in Dairy Farms Located in South-Western Ethiopia: Understanding the Broader Community Risk

Abstract

Q fever is a zoonotic disease that is caused by Coxiella burnetii and leads to abortion and infertility in ruminants and debilitating disease in humans. Jimma zone, including Jimma town, located in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, was affected by an outbreak of abortions in ruminants related to Q fever infection between 2013 and 2015. This study aimed to investigate the geo-clustering of C. burnetii seroprevalence in dairy farms of Jimma town and identify the environmental risk factors associated with seroprevalence distribution. A total of 227 cattle were tested for antibodies against C. burnetii in 25 farms. We explored the clustering of C. burnetii seroprevalence using semivariograms. A geostatistical regression-based model was implemented to quantify the risk factors and to predict the geographical variation in C. burnetii seroprevalence at unsampled locations in Jimma town using OpenBugs. Our results demonstrated that the risk of exposure in dairy cattle varied across the landscape of Jimma town and was associated with environmental risk factors. The predictive map of C. burnetii seroprevalence showed that communities in the eastern part of Jimma town had the highest risk of exposure. Our results can inform community-level investigations of human seroprevalence in the high-risk areas to the east of Jimma.

A sero-epidemiological analysis of Coxiella burnetii infection and its risk factors in livestock from Addis Ababa, Adama, and Modjo abattoirs and pastoral areas of Oromia, Ethiopia

“…The current study reports an overall seroprevalence of 18.77% (95% CI, 17.59–19.99%) with varying levels from the tested livestock species of various locations in Ethiopia. Our finding is in a close similarity with the 20% prevalence reported from south-western Ethiopia using similar serological methods [ 23 ]. However, it is lower than those reported by Gumi et al [ 13 ] and Tesfaye et al [ 24 ] who estimated a prevalence of 31.6% and 28.46%, respectively, in other parts of Ethiopia.…”

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) Exposure in Smallholder Dairy Cattle in Tanzania

“…Additionally, a recent cross-sectional study in India reported that age is the paramount multivariable risk factor of Q fever exposure in dairy cattle [68]. Increasing exposure rates as animals get older is consistent with an endemic situation with circulation of the pathogen and increasing likelihood of exposure to the pathogen and its reservoirs such as other infected hosts, natural reservoirs, and/or environmental sources the longer the animal lives [3,10,23,67,69].…”

“…Apart from domestic ruminants, other reservoirs like ticks may have a role as potential arthropod vectors and in the dispersal the pathogen through biting and environmental contamination [17][18][19]. The bacterium can survive harsh conditions and attach to dust in the environment and finally be transported over long distances (to more than 10 km) via the wind [20][21][22][23].…”

“…Infected hosts, especially domestic ruminants, generally are asymptomatic although reproductive disorders such as abortions, infertility, sterility, stillbirth, retained placenta, and irregular repeat breeding are well recognized consequences in some animals and more so in small ruminants than cattle [17,23,24]. The clinical presentation of the disease negatively impacts livestock production systems leading to economic losses especially among smallholder farmers who are ill-informed about the disease [25].…”

Coxiellosis in Livestock: Epidemiology, Public Health Significance, and Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii Infection in Ethiopia

“…Due to the country’s agrarian nature, where a large proportion of the population depends on livestock farming, the risk of transmission from animals to humans is relatively high. 14 , 41 Furthermore, Ethiopia faces challenges in terms of healthcare infrastructure and access to proper diagnostic and treatment facilities in rural areas, which may impede early detection and effective management of the C. burnetii infection. Moreover, factors like climate change, changing agricultural practices, and population movement could also influence the prevalence and distribution of the disease in Ethiopia.…”