Coxiella burnetii in Rodents on Heixiazi Island at the Sino-Russian Border

This work is a molecular epidemiologic study to detect the incidence of Coxiella burnetii in rodents on Heixiazi Island at the Sino-Russian border of Heilongjiang Province. Liver tissues were extracted and processed to test the incidence of C. burnetii infection using polymerase chain reaction analysis. In total, 18% (66 of 370) of rodents tested positive for infection. The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that infection with C. burnetii was associated significantly with weight and month of capture, and infection was found in all rodent species that were observed; there was no significant difference of sex on the infection of C. burnetii. Though phylogenetic analysis disclosed heterogeneity in the nucleotide sequences isolated from the island rodents, the majority of observed strains were among the most common strains found worldwide. This is the first report on the incidence of C. burnetii in rodents on Heixiazi Island at the Sino-Russian border.