Q fever

Causes and Risks:
Q fever is caused by the organism Coxiella burnetii. This organism primarily lives in domestic animals (cattle, sheep, and goats), cats, wild animals, and ticks .

Humans contract the disease after having contact with contaminated materials (materials that have been contaminated with the animal's feces, blood, placenta, etc.), after inhaling contaminated dust or droplets, or after ingestion of contaminated food or raw (unpateurized) milk.

Hepatitis or pneumonia may develop in early disease. Late Q fever involves relapse or persistence of the initial infection; although rare, it can cause severe complications including of the aortic heart valve (and subsequent endocarditis ).

Prevention:
People who must be exposed to domestic animals (farm workers, veterinarians, and so on) may not be able to prevent this infection. Avoid eating possibly contaminated food. Pasteurization of milk may be helpful.

Symptoms:
Initial symptoms may reappear or may persist:

Other symptoms that may develop include:



Signs and Tests:
Physical examination may show typical signs of hepatitis (such as an enlarged liver ) or pneumonia (such as abnormal lung sounds). A chest X-ray , abdominal X-ray , abdominal CT scan , or other testing may be recommended.

Treatment:
Antimicrobials may be given to help control the organism. Symptoms are treated as appropriate.

Prognosis:
As a general rule, recovery occurs even with out treatment. However, complications, when they occur, can be very serious and sometimes even life-threatening.

Complications:



Call Your Healthcare Provider:
It is recommended that this disorder be treated any time that it is recognized as the cause of symptoms. Call your health care provider if you develop symptoms of Q fever.