Q fever hazards from sheep and goats used in research

Two recent outbreaks of Q fever in research institutions prompted the authors to review extant data, in an effort to delineate hazards to humans from small ruminants used in research. Prevalence of Q fever antibodies was 24% among 2097 sheep and 57% among 1475 goats from various sources. In a facility using sheep for prenatal research, in which an epidemic of human Q fever later occurred, antibody prevalence among sheep was 77%, with larger than usual proportions of high (greater than or equal to 128) titers. Antibody prevalence was 5% in a sample from the general human population and 11% among 347 persons at three research institutions (17% among students, 8% among the research staff). Except for animal caretakers routinely exposed to sheep, antibody prevalence among research staff approximated prevalence in the general population. Suggestions are made for surveillance and vaccination of sheep and goats used in medical research institutions.