Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Microbiology 2008-3289 10 4 2018 10 06 220 226 EN Fargol Abdali Nutrition Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Saeid Hosseinzadeh Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran Enayat Berizi Nutrition Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Siamak Shams Department of Environmental Health Ward, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran 2018 04 19 2018 09 15 Background and objectives: Q fever is a worldwide disease which is common between human and livestock. This disease is created by an obligate intracellular Rickettsia called Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii). Cattle, goats and sheep are among the main reservoirs of the disease in humans. The most common routs of transmitting the infection to humans are inhalation of contaminated aerosols and drinking milk and non-pasteurized dairy products. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of C. burnetii in non-pasteurized dairy products in Shiraz. Materials and Methods: In this study (from summer 2016 to winter 2016), 238 non-pasteurized dairy products, (48 raw milk, 48 yogurt, 46 cheeses, 48 dough and 48 ice cream samples) were collected from the retail market and analyzed using a nested PCR assay. Results: This study showed that 20 samples (8.4%) of 238 non-pasteurized dairy products were reported positive for C. burnetii (13 of 48 (27.08%) raw milk, 3 of 48 (6.25%) yogurt, 2 of 46 (4.35%) cheese, 2 of 48 (4.16%) dough and 0 of 48 ice cream samples). Conclusions: The present study suggests that non-pasteurized dairy as main sources of C. burnetii in Shiraz, Southern Iran; thus, the consumption of pasteurized milk and dairy products is a valuable method to prevent the disease in human. https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/view/1715 https://ijm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijm/article/download/1715/1052