Coxiella burnetii

Chain of Infection/ Transmission

• People get infected by breathing dust that has been contaminated by infected animal feces, urine, milk, and birth products that contain Coxiella burnetii
• It isn’t transmitted through direct contact (ex: touching, being licked) with an animal
• Eating contaminated unpasteurized dairy products = getting sick with Q fever

Signs/Symptoms

• About 5 out of 10 people infected with Coxiella burnetii will get sick. Illness typically develops 2-3 weeks after being exposed to the bacteria. Signs and symptoms of Q fever may include:
• Fever,chills,sweat,fatigue,headache,muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest and stomach pain, and other symptoms.
• Symptoms can be mild or severe. People who develop severe disease may experience infection of the lungs (pneumonia) or liver (hepatitis).
• Women who are infected during pregnancy may be at risk for miscarriage, stillbirth, pre-term delivery, or low infant birth weight.

Diagnosis/Testing

• Diagnosis is hard as symptoms are similar to other diseases , can develop symptoms if around sheep,goat,cattle or in certain areas around these animals *tell your healthcare provider
• Lab testing along with reporting could take a couple of weeks so your healthcare provider might just give you antibiotic treatment before results come back
• This more deadly form of Q fever can damage your heart, liver, brain and lungs. Mild cases of Q fever clear up quickly with antibiotic treatment. But if Q fever recurs, you may need to take antibiotics for at least 18 months.
• Q fever can occur at any time of the year, but the number of infections usually peaks in April and May in the U.S.
• A Q fever vaccine has been developed in Australia for people who have high-risk occupations, but it's not available in the U.S.

Prevention

• To avoid developing the chronic Q fever, you shouldn’t eat raw dairy products
• People should definitely avoid being close to animals while they give birth to avoid contracting the fever
• If a person has a weak immune system or has any disease they can have a high risk in developing this chronic fever as well as pregnant women.

Treatment

• Treatment with 2 weeks of doxycycline antibiotic is recommended, but most people will recover without antibiotic treatment
• If you get chronic Q fever, which is a life threatening infection, you must have several months of treatment
• Treatment includes a combination of antibiotics including doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine