Coxiella burnetti Flashcards
What fever does it cause?
Q fever
How to classify?
Obligate intracellular gram negative cocco-bacillus
What cells does it infect?
Macrophages
What are the 2 forms of illness?
Acute
Chronic
How is it transmitted?
To man usually via resistant spore-like structure
-Virulent for months
-Dessicated material aerosolised and inhaled
Many animal species infected and shed in milk, excreta, birth products
What does acute Q fever cause?
Pneumonia (mild, non-specific CXR), pyrexia of undetermined origin, flu-like illness
Rash in some patients but rare
What does chronic Q fever cause?
Endocarditis (native/prosthetic valve)
Thrombocytopenia, hepatitis
How to diagnose?
Serology
PCR and culture for reference laboratories only
Treatment
Acute: doxycycline + rimfampicin
Chronic endocarditis: difficult…
