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Cause:
Bacterium Coxiella burnetii.
Illness and treatment:
Acute Q fever
symptoms are fevers, chills, retrobulbar headache, malaise,
weakness, and severe sweats. Chronic Q fever manifests
primarily as endocarditis. Treatment is with antibiotics.
Sources:
The most common reservoirs
are sheep, cattle, and goats. Infected animals are usually
asymptomatic, but shed the organism in birth products as
well as urine, feces, and milk. A common exposure mechanism
is inhalation of dust from premises contaminated by
placental tissues, birth fluids, or excreta of infected
animals.
Prevention:
Consume only pasteurized
milk and dairy products. Appropriately dispose of animal
birth products. Restrict access to barns and facilities
housing potentially infected animals.
Recent Washington trends:
Each year there are 0 to 2 reports.
2008:
No cases were reported.
Purpose of Reporting and
Surveillance
- To identify the source of infection (e.g., an outbreak
at a rendering plant) and prevent further transmission from
that source to others
- To educate potentially exposed persons about signs and
symptoms of disease, thereby facilitating early diagnosis
- To raise the index of
suspicion of a possible bioterrorism event if no natural
exposure source is identified
Legal Reporting Requirements
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Health care
providers: notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 3
work days
-
Hospitals:
notifiable to local health jurisdiction within 3 work days
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Laboratories: no
requirements for reporting
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Veterinarian:
immediately notifiable to Washington State Department of
Agriculture or to the local health jurisdiction
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Local health
jurisdictions: notifiable to DOH Communicable Disease
Epidemiology Section (CDES) within 7 days of case
investigation completion or summary information required
within 21 days.
Last
update
November 2009 |
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