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Q Fever

A Paper Written By:

Gena Lucille Hansen

This is a bacterial disease that lives inside cells. It was first discovered in Australia in 1935. This is a rickettsial cell disease that infects people by being inhaled from the air. Q fever is common in many livestock-raising regions. Cattle and sheep bitten by infected ticks pass Q fever rickettsials in their urine and in their fluids while giving birth. Only animals can be affected by ticks humans can't for some reason or another. The only way humans can gain this disease is through the air or even in their food. For example if you eat a type of meat with this unknown disease you can catch this bacteria. Studies show that farmers and their families are most likely to catch this disease due to their farm animals. The CDC classifies this disease as a category B agent.

The main system that is affected would be the respiratory system even though others such as GI and the cardiac system can also be affected. This disease usually stays in the system of the body for about 9 to 40 days. If you suspect that you have this disease the symptoms would include a fever, severe headache, myalgias, anorexia, coughing, pleuritic chest pain, sweating constantly, the chills and some nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. There is such a thing as a vaccination for Q fever but the US chooses not to use it due to the fact that there is not enough life threatening cases reported. Even though Europe, Asia, and have course Australia have had the vaccination for years.

Causes would include Coxiella burnetii, which is a much smaller version of the rickettsials disease. Coxiella burnetii only exists in two states, phase 1 named virulent and phase 2, which is called avirulent.

Q fever virulent 1 bacterium can cause infection. Even though this disease is resistant to inactivation it can survive for months in dust.

In an acute Q fever the blood count stays normal in about 70 out of 100 patients but white blood can possibly increase in 30% of the