RESUMO
Numerous abortions were reported on a Quebec goat farm, and caprine herpesvirus-1 (CapHV-1) was confirmed by PCR in several tissues from 3 aborted fetuses. This is the first report of CapHV-1 in Canada. Practitioners and diagnosticians must consider this disease when making a differential diagnosis for caprine abortion.
Assuntos
Aborto Animal/virologia , Doenças das Cabras/diagnóstico , Infecções por Herpesviridae/veterinária , Varicellovirus/isolamento & purificação , Aborto Animal/epidemiologia , Animais , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Surtos de Doenças/veterinária , Feminino , Doenças das Cabras/epidemiologia , Doenças das Cabras/virologia , Cabras , Infecções por Herpesviridae/complicações , Infecções por Herpesviridae/diagnóstico , Infecções por Herpesviridae/epidemiologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/métodos , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/veterinária , Gravidez , Quebeque/epidemiologia , Varicellovirus/genéticaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To determine the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii among the shepherds and their sheep in the lower Saint-Lawrence River region (LSLRR) of Quebec, Canada. DESIGN: A prospective human-animal comparative study was conducted with 81 shepherds from 46 farms and a control group matched for sex and age. All participants answered a standardized questionnaire to evaluate their risk factors for Q fever, including a specific section on the work practices of the shepherds. All human subjects had a blood sample taken for serology to phase I and phase II antigens of C burnetii performed by indirect immunofluorescence assay. At each participating farm, seven to nine sheep had blood samples taken for C burnetii serology to be assessed by the complement fixation test. RESULTS: The seroprevalence to C burnetii was higher in the group of shepherds (28.4%) than the control group (1.2%) (P<0.005). Among the group of shepherds, spending more than 5 h/week in the sheep barn (P=0.06) and buying and/or trading sheep within the past six months (P=0.004) were associated with positive C burnetii serology. A total of 137 of 334 sheep (41%) were seropositive for C burnetii. These positive sheep were distributed in 41 of the 46 flocks (89%). No correlation could be demonstrated between a serology for C burnetii in the herds and the shepherds. CONCLUSION: Q fever is highly prevalent in the LSLRR of Quebec, affecting 89% of the flocks and 28% of the shepherds. Shepherds in this region are at increased risk for C burnetii infection in comparison to the general population.
