Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Q Fever Treatment with Oxytetracycline

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Q fever treatment with oxytetracycline based on the level of Coxiella burnetii antibodies in the sera of infected goats and cows, and excretion of Coxiella burnetii in milk. The study was performed in naturally infected goats and cattle. Forty-six goat sera and 35 cows’ sera were investigated three times before, and twice after treatment with oxytetracycline. The percentage of seronegative goats after treatment (the third examination) was 86.96% while the percentage of seronegative cows after treatment was 52.77%. Moreover, the molecular studies (real-time PCR) of cheese from milk of these animals showed that the specific sequences of DNA for Coxiella burnetii were present despite treatment with oxytetracycline.