Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii infection in dogs from Southeastern France
Résumé
Purpose: Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever, a major zoonosis. Humans are generally infected by aerosols or contacts with ruminants which often remain an asymptomatic source of infection. Dogs also can be infected and generally remain asymptomatic. To now, few studies have been carried out in France to investigate the role of dogs in the epidemiological cycle of the disease. The aim of this survey was to assess the seroprevalence of C. burnetii infection of apparently healthy dogs living in southeastern France.