Q Fever (Queensland Fever)

Abstract

The disease ‘Query fever’ (Q fever), which is expanding globally and both emerging and re-emerging, is broadly described in this chapter. It can spread randomly or in outbreaks of 100–1000 cases. Despite the fact that Q fever cases are on the rise worldwide, the illness is still viewed as a somewhat underappreciated anthropozoonosis because 60% of acute cases are asymptomatic and can go undiagnosed, while in goats some cases may show signs of depression and decreased appetite before developing late-term abortions and decreased reproductive effectiveness. Q fever is still a highly mysterious zoonosis, due to its widespread occurrence, challenging epidemiology, variety of reservoirs and vectors, and paucity of studies describing the dynamic interaction between these variables.