ARISQ: Pilot Study on the Risk of Infection and Illness Among Veterinary Workers Due to Coxiella burnetii

Status:

ongoing

Aims:

Do employees in veterinary medicine face an increased risk of infection and illness from the zoonotic pathogen Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)? Are the existing protective measures sufficient to minimise the risk of both asymptomatic and symptomatic infections? How can prevention strategies be optimised to ensure the safety of veterinary students?

Activities/Methods:

To include as many seronegative participants as possible in the study, 80 veterinary students (the exposure group) and 80 medical students (the control group) will undergo examination. Recruitment will be conducted via flyers and by approaching faculty members. The inclusion criteria are that participants are either veterinary students at the Department of Ruminant Medicine or medical students with no contact with ruminants. Those excluded will be minors, individuals with a previous diagnosis of Q fever, individuals vaccinated against C. burnetii and individuals with positive serological test results. First, an exposure assessment involving bioaerosol measurements of C. burnetii concentrations in the air within the clinic will be conducted. A questionnaire will also be used for further risk assessment. Furthermore, serological tests will be performed to test the students for C. burnetii antibodies (IgM and IgG) at the beginning and end of the study.

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