(Factsheet) 58-2 (Factsheet) 75-2

Q Fever

Last reviewed February 2009

Australian Situation

Q fever is present in Australia and is nationally notifiable in humans.

For general information on managing animal health in Australia, please consult the latest edition of 'Animal Health in Australia'. For information on Q Fever in humans, including information on the Australian Q Fever Register, go to http://www.qfever.org.

Disease summary

Q fever is a zoonosis with a worldwide distribution. The disease is caused by Coxiella burnetii, an intra-cellular organism that had been traditionally placed in the family Rickettsiaceae. However, subsequent phylogenetic studies have placed it within its own family, Coxiellaceae, within the order Legionellales.

Many species of domesticated animals and wildlife are reservoirs of C. burnetii, though domestic livestock and particularly ruminants represent the most significant source of infection for humans. Infection in animals is usually asymptomatic, but abortions or stillbirths can occur, usually late in pregnancy. Both asymptomatic and symptomatic females can shed very large quantities into the environment during parturition. C. burnetii can survive harsh environmental conditions and can be spread by the wind. Infection in wild animals is maintained partly by tick vectors, which also provide a source of infection for domestic animals.

Q fever is usually transmitted to humans via aerosol inhalation during parturition, especially of ruminants. Transmission may also occur by the ingestion of unpasteurised milk or other contaminated material. Q fever is usually asymptomatic in humans also, but may manifest acutely as a self-limited febrile illness, pneumonia or hepatitis, or chronically as endocarditis.

The OIE website provides a link to a 'Disease Card’ providing further information.

World distribution

Q fever is present worldwide, except in New Zealand. More information on this OIE-listed disease, including worldwide disease status and distribution, is available on the OIE Website and the World Animal Health Information Database (WAHID) website.

Surveillance statistics

Information regarding human cases in Australia is collected by the Department of Health and Ageing.