Q fever, a neglected zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, is primarily transmitted through inhalation; however, consuming contaminated milk is also a potential route of transmission. Our cross-sectional study aimed to identify C. burnetii in various samples, including raw milk from dairy farms and small individual yards (122 vs. 134), bulk tank milk from dairy farms and individual yards (20 vs. 50), and raw milk from retail markets (n=20), using both ELISA and PCR. Moreover, dairy products and serum from dairy farm workers were also examined. The results revealed a higher prevalence in raw milk from cows on dairy farms compared to individual yards, as determined by ELISA (29.5% vs. 7.5%) and PCR (8.2% vs. 2.9%). Moreover, pasteurized milk, yoghurt, and cheese samples were positive for C. burnetii by PCR. The sensitivity of the ELISA test was 100%, while the specificity was 86.8%, indicating that the ELISA test has good discriminatory power. In conclusion, C. burnetii contamination is present in milk and dairy products in Egypt, posing a public health hazard. Therefore, Monitoring and heat treatment of raw milk are important to minimize the spread of infection from dairy farms to markets.
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