Detection of Coxiella burnetii from dust in a barn housing dairy cattle.

We attempted to detect Coxiella burnetii in dust samples collected from a barn housing dairy cattle by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Ten dust samples (five from ventilation fans and five from crossbeams) were collected from two areas in a barn on a farm near Sapporo, Hokkaido. C. burnetii was detected in 5 of the 10 dust samples. It was believed that aerial contamination by C. burnetii occurred in the barn.