Between Livestock’s and Humans, Q Fever Disease is Emerging at Low Noise

Abstract

Coxiella burnetii is the pathogenic agent of the Q fever which remains a worldwide zoonotic disease. The natural cycle of this bacterium is not reported to include humans, who are considered incidental hosts. The true reservoir is wide and includes mammals, birds and arthropods mainly tick. Q fever is most often contracted after human inhalation of infected dusts particles, handle infected animal tissues, such as urine, faeces or birth products. Person-to-Person transmission is rare but it has been documented. However, Coxiella burnetii has been identified in the semen of infected males, and this has resulted in sexual transmission of the pathogen. Acute or chronic Coxiella burnetii infection exhibits a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations; roughly 50% of all infections with Coxiella burnetii are asymptomatic, and can lead also to an unexplained pyrexia that makes diagnosis difficult for infectious disease specialists. Following inhalation, symptoms can develop after 10 to 90 days, depending on the dose. Coxiella burnetii has been flagged where it has been searched for. Due to the epidemiological surveys in most developed countries, clear pictures about exposure factors, hosts-reservoirs life cycle are amply described, hence its incidence is generally quite low.