Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) reservoir in wild brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) populations in the UK

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Abstract
Seroprevalence ofCoxiella burnetii, the causal agent of Q fever in humans, was examined in wild brown rat populations from 4 Oxfordshire farmsteads (n= 127), 9 Somerset homesteads (n= 98), and 1 captive enclosure (n= 88) in the UK. Seroprevalence ranged between 7 and 53%, the lowest being within the captive population and the highest on dairy farmsteads with sheep present. This is the first reported investigation ofC. burnetiiin wild rats outside India. We suggest that the high Seroprevalence among rats (i) provides evidence that wild rats constitute an important reservoir forC. burnetiiin the UK, and (ii) explains why cats, as frequent predators of rats, are so important in the epidemiology of this disease.