Geographical Variation in Seroprevalence in Dairy Farms Located in South-Western Ethiopia: Understanding the Broader Community Risk.

Q fever is a zoonotic disease that is caused by and leads to abortion and infertility in ruminants and debilitating disease in humans. Jimma zone, including Jimma town, located in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, was affected by an outbreak of abortions in ruminants related to Q fever infection between 2013 and 2015. This study aimed to investigate the geo-clustering of seroprevalence in dairy farms of Jimma town and identify the environmental risk factors associated with seroprevalence distribution.

Seroprevalence of and risk factors for Q fever in dairy and slaughterhouse cattle of Jimma town, South Western Ethiopia.

Background: Q fever is a zoonotic disease, caused by Gram negative bacterium C. burnetii, which imparts significant socio-economic burden due to production and reproductive loss (abortion, stillbirth, and infertility) in ruminants and debilitating clinical disease in human populations. While sheep and goats are considered the primary reservoirs of infection to humans, infection can also result from exposure to cattle.