Global Prevalence of Q Fever in Camels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies From Africa and Asia.
7 affiliations
- 1College of Veterinary Medicine, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.
- 2Department of Veterinary Science, Burie Campus, Debre Markos University, Burie, Ethiopia.
- 3Department of Veterinary Science, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
- 4Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- 5Department of Biotechnology, College of Computational and Natural Sciences, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
- 6Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
- 7Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agricultural Sciences, Woldia University, Weldiya, Ethiopia.
Abstract
Q fever is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii with a global distribution. It has a significant public health implication in resource-limited settings. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to comprehensively analyse the global prevalence of Q fever in camels. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, online searches were conducted in Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar from 9 to 20 December 2025, to retrieve articles published between 1 January 2000 and 30 November 2025. After excluding articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria, this systematic review and meta-analysis identified 35 articles. After heterogeneity assessment, random effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence, and the overall pooled prevalence of Q fever in camels was 33.37% (95% CI: [23.14; 45.44]), combining serological evidence of previous or recent exposure with molecular evidence of C. burnetii detection. Diagnostic-method-specific analyses showed substantially different pooled estimates for ELISA (44.06%) and PCR (7.76%), reflecting distinct biological endpoints. The prevalence of Q fever was 37.17% in Africa and 26.87% in Asia. This meta-analysis result showed that the prevalence of Q fever is high in camels, but it is still neglected in several regions, posing significant impact to human and animal health. Expanded epidemiological investigations to underrepresented geographic regions and production systems will provide critical evidence to inform global surveillance strategies and support evidence-based policy for zoonotic disease prevention in camel populations and beyond.
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BibTeX
@article{kallu2026global,
title = {{Global Prevalence of Q Fever in Camels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies From Africa and Asia.}},
author = {Simegnew Adugna Kallu and Shimels Mengistu and Pawlos Wasihun Asnake and Ambachew Motbaynor Wubaye and Migbaru Keffale Bezabih and Melkamu Temesgen Mekonen and Sindu Zegeye Alamneh and Yusuf Ahmed Elmi and Kedir Sali and Simachew Getaneh Endalamew and Amsalu Misgie Molla and Yihenew Getahun Ambaw},
journal = {Veterinary medicine and science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/vms3.71275},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904863},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Global Prevalence of Q Fever in Camels: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies From Africa and Asia.
AU - Simegnew Adugna Kallu
AU - Shimels Mengistu
AU - Pawlos Wasihun Asnake
AU - Ambachew Motbaynor Wubaye
AU - Migbaru Keffale Bezabih
AU - Melkamu Temesgen Mekonen
AU - Sindu Zegeye Alamneh
AU - Yusuf Ahmed Elmi
AU - Kedir Sali
AU - Simachew Getaneh Endalamew
AU - Amsalu Misgie Molla
AU - Yihenew Getahun Ambaw
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Veterinary medicine and science
DO - 10.1002/vms3.71275
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904863
AB - Q fever is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii with a global distribution. It has a significant public health implication in resource-limited settings. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to comprehensively analyse the global prevalence of Q fever in camels. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, online searches were conducted in Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar from 9 to 20 December 2025, to retrieve articles published between 1 January 2000 and 30 November 2025. After excluding articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria, this systematic review and meta-analysis identified 35 articles. After heterogeneity assessment, random effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence, and the overall pooled prevalence of Q fever in camels was 33.37% (95% CI: [23.14; 45.44]), combining serological evidence of previous or recent exposure with molecular evidence of C. burnetii detection. Diagnostic-method-specific analyses showed substantially different pooled estimates for ELISA (44.06%) and PCR (7.76%), reflecting distinct biological endpoints. The prevalence of Q fever was 37.17% in Africa and 26.87% in Asia. This meta-analysis result showed that the prevalence of Q fever is high in camels, but it is still neglected in several regions, posing significant impact to human and animal health. Expanded epidemiological investigations to underrepresented geographic regions and production systems will provide critical evidence to inform global surveillance strategies and support evidence-based policy for zoonotic disease prevention in camel populations and beyond.
SN - 2053-1095
ER -