Serological prevalence of the Coxiella burnetii infection in humans in the age group of 0–20 years in some regions of North Macedonia
Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in humans and to examine the variation of infection in females and males in the age group of 0–20 years in some regions of North Macedonia. Blood samples were collected from 142 random people from five regions. These patients were tested for antibodies against C. burnetii phase II antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive test was based on the cut-off value, which in this case was over 0.5 optical density (OD). Of 74 female serums examined, seven samples resulted positive (9.45%), and of 68 male serums examined, five resulted positive (7.35%). In total, the infection percentage was approximate in both sexes; the differences depended on the regions. These findings on Q fever in humans can be used to improve the visibility of this zoonotic disease especially in North Macedonia, where very little information is available on C. burnetii infections. These findings will help local health authorities to focus on the origin of the problem and facilitate the application of preventive measures.