Q FEVER

Q FEVER


Q fever can be a chronic, debilitating, possibly fatal infection. It is transmitted to humans through contact with infected reproductive tissues, especially the birthing fluids and placenta, of cattle, sheep, and goats. “Q” is for “query,” because the people who first recognized the disease did not know what caused it.



MORBIDITY: +




MORTALITY: +




ETIOLOGY: BACTERIAL


Coxiella burnetii is responsible for Q fever in people and animals. C. burnetii is a small, gram-negative coccobacillus that lives and multiplies in the monocytes and macrophages in the host. As the organism multiplies, it destroys the host cell and moves on to live in other cells. Q fever is unique in that it does not require a tick bite to transfer the bacteria from host to host, although tick bite transmission has been seen in animals. C. burnetii can survive outside of a host in the environment for weeks to months. A single C. burnetii organism can cause disease.



HOSTS


Cattle, sheep, and goats are the most common reservoirs of C. burnetii. It has also been found in dogs and cats. Some ticks have been shown to carry C. burnetii.



TRANSMISSION


C. burnetii is shed primarily in the birthing fluids of cattle, sheep, and goats. It is also found in milk, urine, and feces and is transmitted to people and other animals through inhalation of C. burnetii in fine-particle aerosols. Rarely, transmission can occur from ingestion of contaminated, unpasteurized milk or other dairy products. Contaminated bedding materials, such as straw used as packing materials, can transmit Q fever long distances.

Related posts:

  1. ABOUT THE DISEASES
  2. CAMPYLOBACTERIOSIS (VIBRIOSIS)
  3. MYCOBACTERIUM INFECTIONS (TUBERCULOSIS)
  4. PSITTACOSIS

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Oct 1, 2016 | Posted by in EXOTIC, WILD, ZOO | Comments Off on Q FEVER

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