Fazele Rad - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of veterinary medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Hossein Shakib - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of veterinary medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Darya Foolady - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of veterinary medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Mohammad Khalili - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of veterinary medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran

Introduction and objectives: Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii that considered a public health problem in different societies. Cattle, sheep and goats are the major reservoirs of this disease; infected animals excrete the bacteria in milk. An effective and rapid method for diagnosis of C. burnetii is nested-trans PCR method. The aim of this study was determination of C. burnetii in Bulk Tank Milk (BTM) samples from Kerman dairy cattle herds. Materials and methods: In this study, 48 BTM samples including 4200 industrial and semi industrial dairy cattle was collected. DNA was extracted using a commercial kit and, then, examined by nested-trans PCR method for the presence of C. burnetii. Results: Six of 48 samples (12.5%) were positive. Given the importance of the bacteria in economy of livestock and public health, its rapid and accurate diagnosis is highly important. Conclusion: Results of this study showed that the cattle milk can be a potential reservoir of C. burnetii in southeastern Iran.

C. burnetii, PCR, milk, Kerman