A seroepidemiological survey of Q fever among sheep in Mazandaran province, northern Iran.

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii which infects various hosts, including humans and animals. As Q fever is considered a public health problem and there is little epidemiological information on the status of the disease in various parts of Iran, the presented study was carried out to evaluate the seroepidemiology of Q fever among sheep in the province of Mazandaran, northern Iran. 253 samples from sheep were collected from the western, central and eastern regions of Mazandaran province in 2010-2011. Serum samples were analyzed by IgG ELISA test. The seroconversion rate was 23.7%. A significant statistical difference (P <0.001) was seen between the seroconversion rate of the central (33.8%) and eastern (27.2%) regions, compared to the western regions (8.5%). Seroprevalence of Q fever IgG in sheep did not vary by age and gender.