ABSTRACT
 
Background and Aim: The present study was conducted with the aim of molecular search for Coxeillaburnetii in raw milk samples collected from cows of Lorestan province.
Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive studyin which 200 milk sampleswere randomly collected from the herds of traditional cattle farms belonging to two cities (Khorramabad and Poldakhtar) of Lorestan province. Collecting milk samples and recording the age of animals was done in the winter of 1400. The process of DNA extraction from all milk samples was also done. Then, Nested-PCR reaction was used to detect C. burnetii based on the IS1111 transposon gene. Also, SPSS software and Chi-square method were used for statistical analysis.
Results:. The results obtained from amplification of the IS1111 transposon geneshowed that 5% (95% CI: 0.7-55%) of the milk samples were positive for C. burnetii microbial load. It was found that there is a significant relationship between the age of the cow and the excretion of C. burnetii through the cow milk in Lorestan province (p<0.05).
Conclusion:. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that cow's milk can be considered as one of the important sources in the transmission of C. burnetii bacteria to the next hosts. Therefore, because of the long shelf life of C. burnetii due to the presence of the pseudospore form, the risk of transmission of C. burnetii through raw milk and unpasteurized dairy products cannot be ignored. Therefore, cow's milk should be considered as an important factor in the epidemiology of Q fever and public health in the central region of Lorestan province.