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Investigation of Coxiella burnetii in Iranian camels

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Abstract

Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic, obligate intracellular bacterium that caused Q fever. Antibodies to this organism have been reported in a wide range of animals including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. This study is aimed to detect C. burnetii in camel by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Blood samples from 130 camels were collected between August and September 2011 then examined in laboratory conditions. Detection of the presence of C. burnetii DNA was carried out using a PCR assay with specific primers (Coc-F and Coc-R) targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (242 bp). In this study, a total of 14 (10.76 %) camel blood samples were found PCR positive for C. burnetii. This result proves that camels are an important reservoir of C. burnetii infection. This study showed relatively high positivity of C. burnetii in Iranians camels, and accordingly, it seems necessary to evaluate the prevalence for this microorganism in Iran.

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Abbreviations

C. burnetii :

Coxiella burnetii

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge all of the staff members of the Biotechnology Research Center of Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, in Iran for their support and contribution to this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biotechnology Research Center, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch, Postal box: 166, Shahrekord, Iran

    Abbas Doosti, Asghar Arshi & Mojtaba Sadeghi

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  1. Abbas Doosti
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  2. Asghar Arshi
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  3. Mojtaba Sadeghi
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Correspondence to Abbas Doosti.

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Doosti, A., Arshi, A. & Sadeghi, M. Investigation of Coxiella burnetii in Iranian camels. Comp Clin Pathol 23, 43–46 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-012-1567-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-012-1567-6

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