Q fever in dairy cattle has been investigated in Latvia since 2012. In 2015, 10.7% of farms tested positive for the DNA of C. burnetii, its aetiological agent, in bulk tank milk. The presence of C. burnetii DNA and infectious bacteria in dairy products has been assessed in several countries, and because Latvian milk may contain them, parallel assessment in this country is recommended. Accordingly, the present study tested shop and farm retail dairy products from Latvia and included foreign products for comparison. Investigation was carried out of 187 samples of a diverse range of dairy products from 41 Latvian milk producers. Twenty-six comparable samples pooled from Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain were also included. The all-countries total number of fermented milk products was 160. Special attention was paid to products that could be more attractive to children because of their added chocolate, cacao, berry and fruit content. DNA was extracted and amplification of C. burnetii IS1111 was performed using a commercial PCR kit. Overall positivity was 60.56%. Domestic products were positive more often (60.96%) than foreign ones (57.69%). Only 26.67% of unpasteurised Latvian cow’s milk samples were positive whereas 76.47% of pasteurised equivalents and 63.13% of fermented milk products were. Sweetened and fruit-containing samples were 71.43% positive. The shedding of C. burnetii via milk should be monitored and only milk from healthy animals allowed for sale for direct human consumption without pasteurisation. Raw milk quality and the effectiveness of industrial heat treatment and pasteurisation methods in Latvia and other countries should be carefully assessed to ensure adequate consumer health protection.

Objective: This study examines the effect of fermented milk containing the probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici BK01 on cholesterol and intestinal microbiota. Materials and Methods: 24 male rats weighing an average of 200 gm each spent 1 week in a cage adapting to their new environment. They were fed standard feed daily and were allowed to drink ad libitum. For 3 weeks, rats were divided into four groups (doses of fermented milk): M+ (control), M1 (0.35 ml), M2 (0.70 ml), and M3 (1.05 ml). The analysis includes bodyweight deter¬mination, serum biochemical analysis, and intestine microbiota analysis. Results: The results indicated that while P. acidilactici BK01 fermented milk did not affect body weight or high-density lipoprotein, it did have a beneficial effect on total serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Additionally, treatment of fermented milk with P. acidilactici BK01 has been shown to increase the total lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the intestine, as indicated by changes in the intestinal villi. Conclusion: Administering fermented milk (P. acidilactici BK01, 1.05 ml) can reduce total serum cholesterol and increase the number of LAB in intestinal villi in experimental animals, so it has the potential to be a probiotic. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2023; 10(1.000): 64-71]