Q Fever

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? Cows Goats Sheep

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:

• CDC Q fever website

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