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Q fever and prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in milk

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii. In humans, although it has been predominantly considered an occupational hazard, in the last decades, Q fever outbreaks have also been reported in various countries, indicating its importance as an emerging public health threat. Domestic ruminants a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in food science & technology 2018-01, Vol.71, p.65-72
Main Authors: Pexara, Andreana, Solomakos, Nikolaos, Govaris, Alexander
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii. In humans, although it has been predominantly considered an occupational hazard, in the last decades, Q fever outbreaks have also been reported in various countries, indicating its importance as an emerging public health threat. Domestic ruminants are considered as the most important sources of human infection. In fact, both symptomatic and asymptomatic infected ruminants shed the bacterium into the environment with birth products, but also in urine, faeces, vaginal mucus and milk. Q fever in humans is mainly asymptomatic, but it also may manifest itself as an acute or chronic disease with long-term sequelae. Inhalation of infectious aerosols usually causes the disease in humans, but the presence of C. burnetii in raw milk raises concern over the role of milk as a source of infection. In this review data on Q fever in humans are summarized and the possible transmission of C. burnetii to humans by consumption of unpasteurized milk is discussed. In addition, an overview of the published data on the prevalence studies of C. burnetii in raw milk in various countries is provided. Recent surveys conducted in many countries have revealed that the prevalence of C. burnetii in raw milk can vary over a wide range from 0% to as high as 95%. Based on recent survey data, the risk of C. burnetii infection by consuming unpasteurized milk and raw milk products cannot be considered negligible. •Characteristics of C. burnetii the causative agent of Q fever are presented.•Infection sources and epidemiology of Q fever are discussed.•The presence of C. burnetii in milk and its role in human infection is reviewed.•Detection methods of C. burnetii in milk are presented.•The worldwide prevalence of C. burnetii in milk samples is presented.
ISSN:0924-2244
1879-3053
DOI:10.1016/j.tifs.2017.11.004