COMPARISON OF IFA AND ELISA TECHNIQUES FOR DIAGNOSIS OF COXIELLA BURNETII

Background and Aim:Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by an obligatorily intracellular bacterium, Coxiella burnetii. This disease, described for the first time among abattoir workers in Australia seems now recognised as being endemic worldwide. Both public health and animal health issues are closely related to Q fever. The aim of this study was to investigate the comparison of IFA and ELISA methods in order to detect the presence of Coxiella burnetii in febrile patients in Khorramabad cityMethods:In this study sampling started in october 2015 and has been continued until may 2016. Totally 100 blood samples were collected from febrile patients in private and public hospitals for comparing ELISA and IFA methods.Results:In this study, phase II IgG antibodies was 28.41% in ELISA method and 38% in IFA method.Conclusion:The study demonstrated that the IFA is suitable for diagnosing Q fever and its therapeutic follow-up and is a good candidate for screening sera in large numbers.

Keywords:

Coxiella burnetii , Q fever , IFA , ELISA , Febrile patients , Khorramabad