TY - JOUR T1 - Longitudinal Monitoring of Coxiella burnetii shedding in Bulk Tank Milk and Environmental Dust Following Vaccination of Three Naturally Infected Dairy Goat Herds A1 - Luca Bianchi JF - International Journal of Veterinary Research and Allied Sciences JO - Int J Vet Res Allied Sci SN - 3062-357X Y1 - 2024 VL - 4 IS - 2 DO - 10.51847/LH5ez2v7P9 SP - 157 EP - 168 N2 - Q fever episodes on three dairy goat operations (A–C) were followed after animals received an inactivated Coxiella burnetii phase I vaccination. Prior to immunization, two phase-specific ELISAs were used on serum samples to determine the existing infection status. Shedding dynamics were assessed through vaginal swabs collected across three consecutive kidding seasons and through monthly bulk tank milk (BTM) testing. In addition, monthly dust swabs were taken from a single windowsill in each barn as well as from the milking areas to evaluate indoor contamination; all samples were examined via qPCR. Phase-oriented serology indicated that herd A was undergoing an acute infection, whereas herds B and C showed, respectively, an active and a historical infection pattern. Vaginal excretion occurred in all three herds during every monitored kidding season. Altogether, C. burnetii DNA was detected in 50%, 69%, and 15% of BTM samples from herds A, B, and C. Dust from barns contained pathogen DNA in 71%, 45%, and 50% of the corresponding swabs. The highest proportion of positive samples originated from milking parlors (A: 91%, B: 72%, C: 73%), underscoring a substantial exposure risk for humans during the milking process. UR - https://esvpub.com/article/longitudinal-monitoring-of-coxiella-burnetii-shedding-in-bulk-tank-milk-and-environmental-dust-follo-hpdrxkmok1evsg7 ER -