What is Q fever?

What is Q fever?

• Q fever: A disease caused by Coxiella burnetti which causes fever, headache and muscle pain.
• Q fever: acute infectious disease caused by Coxiella burnetii; characterized by a sudden onset of fever,headache, malaise, and weakness; in humans, it is commonly contracted by inhalation of infected dusts derived from infected domestic animals.
  Source - Diseases Database
• Q fever: an acute disease resembling influenza.
  Source - WordNet 2.1

Q fever: Introduction

Types of Q fever:

Types of Q fever:

• Acute Q fever
• Chronic Q fever
• more types...»

Broader types of Q fever:

• Typhus
• Respiratory conditions
• Zoonotic Diseases
• Vaccine-preventable diseases
• Bacterial diseases
• Rickettsia
• Diseases contagious from food
• Diseases contagious from birds
• Diseases contagious from animals
• more types...»

How many people get Q fever?

Incidence (annual) of Q fever: 3.9 new cases per 100,000 population of Q Fever were notified in Australia 2002 (Yohannes K, Roche P, Blumer C et al. 2004, Australia’s Health 2004, AIHW)
Incidence Rate of Q fever: approx 1 in 25,641 or 0.00% or 10,608 people in USA [about data]

How serious is Q fever?

Complications of Q fever: see complications of Q fever
Prognosis of Q fever: In general, most patients will recover to good health within several months without any treatment. Only 1%-2% of people with acute Q fever die of the disease. (Source: excerpt from Q Fever: DVRD)

What causes Q fever?

Causes of Q fever: see causes of Q fever
Causes of Q fever: Infection of humans usually occurs by inhalation of these organisms from air that contains airborne barnyard dust contaminated by dried placental material, birth fluids, and excreta of infected herd animals. (Source: excerpt from Q Fever: DVRD)
Risk factors for Q fever: see risk factors for Q fever

What are the symptoms of Q fever?

Symptoms of Q fever: see symptoms of Q fever

Complications of Q fever: see complications of Q fever

Incubation period for Q fever: 2 to 4 weeks

Incubation period for Q fever: The incubation period for Q fever varies depending on the number of organisms that initially infect the patient. Infection with greater numbers of organisms will result in shorter incubation periods.  Most patients become ill within 2-3 weeks after exposure. Those who recover fully from infection may possess lifelong immunity against re-infection. (Source: excerpt from Q Fever: DVRD)

Duration of Q fever: about 2 weeks

Can anyone else get Q fever?

Contagion of Q fever: Acquired by inhalation of infected animal dust; also direct contact with another person; not by tick bites (though animal-to-animal transmission occurs this way).
More information: see contagiousness of Q fever

Q fever: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Q fever.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Q fever.

How is it treated?

Treatments for Q fever: see treatments for Q fever
Prevention of Q fever: see prevention of Q fever
Research for Q fever: see research for Q fever

Society issues for Q fever

Hospitalization statistics for Q fever: The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Q fever:

• 0.0001% (9) of hospital consultant episodes were for Q fever in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 78% of hospital consultant episodes for Q fever required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 44% of hospital consultant episodes for Q fever were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 46% of hospital consultant episodes for Q fever were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 85% of hospital consultant episodes for Q fever required emergency hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 12.3 days was the mean length of stay in hospitals for Q fever in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 9 days was the median length of stay in hospitals for Q fever in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• more statistics...»

Organs Affected by Q fever:

Organs and body systems related to Q fever include:

• Lungs
• Respiratory

Name and Aliases of Q fever

Main name of condition: Q fever

Class of Condition for Q fever: bacterial

Coxiella burnetii, Q fever pneumonia, Acute Q fever, Chronic Q fever, Coxiella burnetii fever, Coxiella burnetii vector-borne disease, Coxiella burnetii infection, Query fever

Coxiella burnetti Source - Diseases Database

Q fever
Source - WordNet 2.1