COMPARISON OF THE AVERAGE DIFFERENCES OF POSITIVE FREQUENCIES WITH Q FEVER AMONG FARM ANIMALS BETWEEN REGIONS OF THE WESTERN PART OF NORTH MACEDONIA WITH THE STATISTICAL METHOD ANOVA

Abstract: Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the ubiquitous pathogen Coxiella burnetii, an obligateintracellular gram-negative bacterium. Farm animals and pets are the main reservoirs of infection, and transmission to human beings is mainly accomplished through inhalation of contaminated aerosols. The objective of this study was to investigate the comparison of the average differences of positive frequencies with Q fever in farm animals in five regions of western North Macedonia, with the statistical method of Anova and the homogeneity of the regions. From 1120 tested serums, 178 resulted positive, with deviation of the average from one region to another. The Kicevo region had the highest overall average of 0.28 compared to the Gostivar region average of 0.08. It was concluded that the difference between the groups is statistically significant for the level of reliability 0.01. Homogeneity with the Tuki method showed that the sample frequencies in the regions of Dibra and Kicevo were 0.26 and 0.28 above the general average, while in the regions of Gostivar, Tetovo and Struga were 0.15 below the general average and it was concluded that there is a connection between the regions in the spread of Q fever infection. The definite diagnosis of Q fever is made based on a significant increase in serum antibody titers. The serums were conserved in -30 °C and as a serological test ELISA from ID vet Monpelie France was used, which was carried out based on its relevant protocol using purified antigen of C. burnetii.