- Title
- Short report: seroprevalence to Coxiella Burnetii among residents of the Hunter New England region of New South Wales, Australia
- Creator
- Islam, Aminul; Ferguson, John; Givney, Rod; Graves, Stephen
- Relation
- American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 84, Issue 2, p. 318-320
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.2011.10-0268
- Publisher
- American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2011
- Description
- Exposure to Coxiella burnetii is a risk in the Hunter New England (HNE) region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, based on yearly reported cases of Q fever. We assessed seroprevalence of phase II antibodies to C. burnetii by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA; screening at 1/50 dilution) of residents of 24 local government areas (LGA) of the HNE region of NSW. A total of 2,438 randomly selected sera sent to the Hunter Area Pathology Service for routine diagnostic purposes (not Q fever testing) during the period of 2006–2009 were tested. The overall seroprevalence in sample group was 7%. The proportion of males (59%) was higher than females (41%). In age distribution, the largest proportion (37%) of seropositives was in the > 60 years age group. Lower prevalence was observed in 0–9 years (1%) and 10–19 years (5%) age groups. The seroprevalence in different LGAs varied between 0.5% and 22%. It was highest in Guyra (22%), Gunnedah (21%), Tenterfield (18%), and Narrabri (16%), with Newcastle (0.5%), Port Stephens (2%), Lake Macquarie (3%), and Singleton (3%) being the lowest. In most of the LGAs, seroprevalence was between 6% and 12%. This report indicates a considerable exposure to C. burnetii of residents in rural areas of the HNE region and is consistent with the high notification rate for Q fever in this part of Australia.
- Subject
- Coxiella burnetii; Hunter New England region; Q fever; seroprevalence
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1040723
- Identifier
- uon:13809
- Identifier
- ISSN:0002-9637
- Language
- eng
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