about Q fever (coxiellosis).It consists of ten multidisciplinary experts, including a medical doctor and two veterinary practitioners, from nine European countries.To assess veterinary knowledge of the disease, the Committee conducted a large survey among ruminant practitioners in eight EU countries.Methods: An independent polling company interviewed 80 veterinarians in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the UK, and Poland; 60 in Belgium; and 30 (goat practitioners only) in the Netherlands.Results: In France and the Netherlands, approximately 80% of respondents had encountered Q fever cases, and their knowledge of this disease was accurate -likely due to the impact of a previously established national Q fever committee (in France) and a major outbreak in humans in 2007-2010 (in the Netherlands).In contrast, less than two thirds of respondents in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain had encountered the disease (and less than half in the UK and Poland), and their knowledge was relatively poor.For instance, less than a third (31%) of Polish and UK practitioners correctly responded that Coxiella burnetii can be carried by wind over several kilometers.Practitioners in Germany, Italy and Spain showed moderate knowledge.For instance, only one in ten responded that C. burnetii infection is enzootic on most farms.There is wide variation in veterinarians recommending vaccination (ranging from 75-80% in France and the Netherlands to 18% in Poland and the UK).The proportion that personally vaccinate herds against C. burnetii is much lower, except for the Netherlands (mandatory vaccination in dairy goats and dairy sheep).Thus, vaccination rates remain low and vaccination is performed in under 10% of farms in France and approximately 1% in most other countries.This likely reflects a low perception of risk amongst farmers and/or a lack of awareness on the return on investment.Similar heterogeneity was found in relation to biosecurity.Only in the Netherlands did more than half of practitioners rate the risk of Q fever introduction onto farms as 'high' or 'very high'.In France, this proportion was 38%, in Spain and Germany approximately 20%, while in the remaining countries it was 12% or less.Digital channels, including websites and social media, were the primary sources of information mentioned by practitioners across all countries and age-groups (around 80% in France, Belgium and Germany, and 51% in Spain).Thus, digital tools should be prioritized for raising awareness about Q fever in Europe.Conclusions: The diverse levels of knowledge and awareness among veterinarians regarding C. burnetii infection in ruminants across Europe highlight the urgent need for a coordinated approach to promote science-based, harmonized recommendations for the diagnosis, control and prevention of Q fever in a one Health approach.The European Q Fever Committee is dedicated to contributing to achieving this objective.
Bauer et al. (Sun,) studied this question.