Poikilotherms as reservoirs of Q-fever (Coxiella burnetii) in Uttar Pradesh.

Water snakes (Natrix natrix), rat snakes (Ptyas korros), cobras (Naja naja), pythons (Python molurus), tortoises (Kachuga sp.), plankton fish (Cirrhina mrigala), frogs (Rana tigrina), toads (Bufo sp.) and monitors (Varanus indicus) were screened for evidence of Q-fever infection by the capillary agglutination test on sera to detect antibodies and/or by attempts to demonstrate Coxiella burnetii in spleen and liver samples. Sero-reactors were observed among water and rat snakes, pythons and tortoises. The organism was isolated from the spleen and liver of the monitor, tortoise and python.