The Sensitivity of the PCR Method for Detection of Coxiella burnetii in the Milk Samples

Background: Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes the zoonotic disease Q fever with a worldwide distribution.\ud Also C. burnetii is classified as a bioterrorism agent. In order to management, prevention and control of Q fever the fast and accurate\ud detection of C. burnetii is necessary. However, the isolation of this strain is very difficult and dangerous.\ud Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the sensitivity of PCR using different primers for the detection of C. burnetii in milk\ud samples.\ud Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study 70 bovine bulk milk samples were collected randomly from dairy herds in Jahrom,\ud Iran in 2010. All the samples were analyzed for the presence of C. burnetii by PCR targeting 3 different genes (Trans, OMP, Coc). The PCR\ud products were examined by electrophoresis using an agarose gel.\ud Results: The frequency of C. burnetii in the evaluated samples using Trans-PCR, OMP-PCR and Coc-PCR were 17.14%, 10% and 10%, respectively.\ud Conclusions: The results of this study show that Trans-PCR is highly sensitive and useful for the direct detection of C. burnetii in milk\ud samples. This technique is a one-step and fast process in comparison to the other assays