Skip to main content

Q Fever

Daniela Lobo, MD Reviewed 05/2023
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • Zoonotic disease caused by the bacteria Coxiella burnetii, it is found in the birth products (placenta, amniotic fluid),urine, feces, and milk of infected animals, and it can survive...

DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosis requires high degree of clinical suspicion. The presentation is often insidious, with variable clinical manifestations. Often, there is an unclear history of direct exposure to inf...

TREATMENT

GENERAL MEASURES

Hospitalization for severe infections, symptoms of congestive heart failure, or respiratory distress 

MEDICATION

Antibiotic therapy used only for symptomatic illness 

First Line

  • ...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

  • Follow-up serology at 3 and 6 months in all patients with acute Q fever [C].

  • Monitor patients at high risk for progression to chronic Q fever, us...

REFERENCES

1
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Q fever. Epidemiology and Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/qfever/stats/index.html. Accessed March 13, 2023.
2
Mertens  K, G...

ADDITIONAL READING

Manchal N, Adegboye OA, Eisen DP. A systematic review on the health outcomes associated with non-endocarditis manifestations of chronic Q fever. Eur J Clin Micr...

CODES

ICD10

  • A78 Q fever

SNOMED

  • 186788009 Q fever

  • 409552002 Chronic Q fever

  • 409553007 Acute Q fever

  • 409554001 Q fever hepatitis

  • 32286006 Pneumonia in Q fever

  • 95890006 Q fever endocarditis

  • 409556004 Q fever ence...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Q fever requires a high degree of clinical suspicion for diagnosis.

  • Consider Q fever in patients presenting with flulike symptoms in the setting of a known exposure.

  • Doxycycline is the t...

Subscribe to Access Full Content

Sign Up for a 10-Day Free Trial

Sign up for a 10-day FREE Trial now and receive full access to all content.

×