Open AccessSeroprevalence of Q fever in cattle, sheep and goats in the Volta region of Ghana
Author(s) -
Johnson Sherry A. M.,
Kaneene John B.,
AsareDompreh Kweku,
Tasiame William,
Mensah Ivy G.,
Afakye Kofi,
Simpson Shirley V.,
Addo Kwasi
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
veterinary medicine and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.485
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 2053-1095
DOI - 10.1002/vms3.160
Subject(s) - seroprevalence , q fever , livestock , coxiella burnetii , abortion , veterinary medicine , outbreak , animal husbandry , animal health , serology , medicine , geography , biology , pregnancy , virology , antibody , immunology , agriculture , ecology , genetics
Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, a causative agent of abortion in livestock and febrile illness in humans. Outbreaks of human cases of Q fever have been reported in Australia and the Netherlands, which was linked to abortions in goat and sheep farms. In Ghana, information on Q fever in both livestock and humans is scanty. This study sought to determine the seroprevalence of Q fever in livestock in the Tongu area of the Volta region of Ghana. It was a cross sectional study with blood sampled from 204 cattle, 158 sheep and 100 goats. An indirect ELISA test was performed to detect Q fever antibodies in the serum of livestock. A total of 20 farms were sampled across the municipalities and an overall prevalence of Q fever was 21.6%. Specie‐specific prevalence was 28.4% (45/158) for sheep, 21.7% (45/204) for cattle and 10% (10/100) for goats. Abortions were reported on all the farms sampled and most farmers lived in close proximity to the farms sampled. Q fever is prevalent in the North Tongu area and requires the attention of the veterinary and health authorities, using the One‐ Health approach in order to control its occurrence and save lives.