What causes Q fever?
- Q fever is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii
(see picture below)
- Q fever is a zoonotic disease and found worldwide
A magnified picture of Q Fever bacteria
(from the CDC’s Public Health Image
Library)
What animals can typically spread naturally-occurring
Q fever to humans?
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How do the animals typically get infected?
- Animals become infected with Q fever by ticks. Clinical
signs of illness in animals are generally not observed.
However, Q fever can cause abortions, stillbirths, and
infertility in animals
- Infected females can pass the infection to their
young during birthing
- The bacteria can also be present in the milk, urine,
and feces of infected animals, which can infect other
animals upon exposure
- Q fever has not been identified in livestock in Maryland
How do humans get Q fever?
- Humans can become naturally infected by breathing
in barnyard dust contaminated with dried infected placental
material, birth fluids, or urine from infected animals
- Ingestion of contaminated milk, tick bites, and human-to-human
are rare forms of transmission
What are the symptoms of Q fever in humans?
- The first symptoms of Q fever are non-specific and
flu like:
- High fever
- Headache
- Muscle pains
- Weakness
- Sore throat
- Chills
- Nausea
- The fever usually lasts 1-2 weeks, and weight loss
can occur
- 30% to 50% of symptomatic patients will develop pneumonia
- Without early antibiotic treatment, a small proportion
of infected persons will develop a chronic form of the
disease, characterized by prolonged fever, night sweats,
chills, fatigue, shortness of breath, and heart valve
problems
Who is most at risk for Q fever?
- Veterinarians
- Meat processing plant workers
- Sheep and dairy workers
- Livestock farmers
- Researchers at facilities housing sheep
- · Between 2000 and 2002, only 1 human case
of Q fever was reported in Maryland
How can Q fever be prevented?
- Animals should be routinely tested for infection
in areas where the disease is common
- Ensure proper disposal of placenta, birth products,
fetal membranes, and aborted fetuses at facilities that
house sheep and goats
- Do not eat or drink unpasturized dairy products
Additional information:
Q fever is considered to be a potential bioterrorism
agent for the following reasons:
- C. burnetii is a highly infectious agent
- The bacteria can be dried and become airborne
- Only one single bacterium in necessary to cause disease
in a susceptible human
Links:
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