More than one-fifth of veterinarians screened in a study on Q fever had antibodies against the causative Coxiella burnetii, according to a recent article.
The text, which will appear in the March 1 edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases, states 113 of the 508 veterinarians tested at the 2006 AVMA Annual Convention in Honolulu carried antibodies against the bacteria. The study has been published online.
Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates most human Q fever outbreaks in the U.S. relate to occupational exposure involving “veterinarians, meat processing plant workers, sheep and dairy workers, livestock farmers, and researchers at facilities housing sheep.”
The Clinical Infectious Diseases article, “Seroepidemiologic and Occupational Risk Survey forCoxiella burnetii Antibodies among US Veterinarians,” suggests some veterinarians consider undergoing routine serologic evaluation. It states early diagnosis of endocarditis attributable to C. burnetii can prevent complications in individuals with heart disease, those undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, and those who are pregnant.
The article states that about 65 percent of those tested who had positive results for the antibodies were men, and a similar portion of those screened were more than 46 years old.
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