Association between Coxiella burnetii seropositivity and abortion in dairy cattle of Northern Italy

Coxiella burnetii, the agent of Q fever in humans, has been associated with abortion in cattle. In this study 650 sera from cattle with abortion and 600 randomly-selected control sera were examined for antibodies to C. burnetii by ELISA. Two hundred and ninety-two (44.9%) out of 650 animals which experienced abortion were seropositive versus 132 (22%) out of 600 of the control group. A statistically significant difference resulted from the comparison of the seroprevalence of aborted cattle with that of controls (p < 0.001). Moreover, a significant higher prevalence was disclosed in cattle which aborted during late gestation (p < 0.002) and in the autumn (p < 0.001).