Development of ELISA kit for serological diagnosis of Q fever

In this study, it was aimed to develop an ELISA diagnostic kit that can be used in the serological investigation of Q fever disease caused by C. burnetii. For this purpose, bovine, sheep, goat and buffalo sera were tested with a commercial ELISA kit and home-made ELISA kit developed using two different conjugates. Of the 92 buffaloes blood serum samples tested, 22 (23.9%) were found positive by commercial ELISA kit, 7 (7.6%) and 29 (31.5%) were positive by protein-A conjugated ELISA and 29 anti-bovine IgG conjugated ELISA, respectively. In addition, Q fever positive and negative cattle, sheep, and goat blood sera that were found to be positive and negative for Q fever in a previous study conducted on animals with abortion history were also re-examined in our laboratory. In conclusion, within the scope of the project, an alternative homemade ELISA kit was developed for the serological diagnosis of Q fever and serum samples of the target species of buffalo, cattle, sheep, and goats were tested. Thus, the home-made ELISA kit, which can be used in research aimed at detecting seropositivity, especially in buffalo sera, was made ready for use. It was concluded that the data obtained would contribute to wider ranging epidemiological studies. The epidemiology of the disease can be revealed in detail in the light of research to be carried out with more comprehensive projects in our region.