Q Fever

https://www.cdc.gov/qfever/index.html

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24127840/

Q Fever

Abstract

Coxiella burnetii is considered a re-emerging zoonosis in many countries. The bacterium is enzootic in livestock and wildlife in the United States, and environmental contamination is widespread. Despite the potential for exposure, the estimated prevalence of Q fever in humans and animals is not well elucidated, and reported human infections in the United States are relatively rare. Zoonotic transmission of the bacterium is usually associated with abortions in domestic ruminants, but other modes of transmission, such as contact with infected blood and/or milk during field dressing of infected wildlife, have not been thoroughly investigated. Studies of zoonotic pathogen transmission between animal reservoir hosts and humans are usually established in response to documented emergence or re-emergence of a zoonosis in a particular locale, and, as such, the prevalence of infection in wildlife is largely unknown for many zoonotic pathogens, including C. burnetii. The objective of this study was to create a disease risk surface for C. burnetii seroprevalence in wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in New York State. Blood samples were collected from hunter-harvested deer from across New York State in 2009 and 2010. The samples were processed and tested for the presence of anti-C. burnetii antibodies via indirect microimmunofluorescence assays using phase II C. burnetii strain RSA439. Overall, 14.50% of the tested white-tailed deer were C. burnetii phase II seropositive. The dual Kernel density estimation method was used to create a smoothed disease risk surface, which revealed variation in seroprevalence ranging from 0% to 32.0%. Areas of higher seroprevalence were detected in four discrete areas of Central New York and in one additional area in the southwest corner of the northern part of the state. This suggests certain locales where humans may be at increased risk for exposure to the bacterium secondary to contact with potentially infected deer.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23176671/

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/q-fever-vaccine.aspx

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Factsheets/qfever-vaccine.pdf

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33748388/

Q fever (coxiellosis) is an infection caused by Coxiella burnetii bacteria that rarely causes noticeable illness in animals. It can be passed from animals to people, however. Transmission to people usually occurs by direct or indirect contact with the bacteria that are shed in large numbers in the placenta and birth fluids of ruminants such as cattle, sheep, and goats. Other wild and domestic animals, including cats, can also play a role in the spread of infection to humans.

There are two major patterns of transmission. In one, the organism circulates between wild animals and their skin parasites, mainly ticks. The other transmission pattern occurs in domestic animals (mainly ruminants, where the presence of this bacteria is common). People can become infected by direct contact with the bacteria in birth fluids or materials, such as soil or bedding, that were contaminated during the delivery. The organism is also found in milk, urine, and feces of infected animals. Transmission may occur by aerosolization of the bacteria attached to dust particles that are inhaled into the lungs or by ingestion of contaminated milk. Fortunately, high-temperature pasteurization kills the bacteria in infected milk.

The Q fever bacteria usually do not cause signs of illness in infected animals. They have occasionally been implicated as the cause for a loss of pregnancy. Infected cats that contract the illness may show vague signs, such as fever, lethargy, and lack of appetite lasting several days.

Infected animals may or may not be treated with antibiotics, because antibiotics may not completely eliminate the bacteria. Vaccines for people and animals have been developed but are not commercially available in the United States. Q fever in humans is typically treated with an antibiotic and must be reported to public health officials. Reporting requirements for infected animals vary by state.

https://www.msdvetmanual.com/cat-owners/disorders-affecting-multiple-body-systems-of-cats/q-fever-in-cats

Irvine, Calif., March 28, 2016 — A University of California, Irvine scientific team led by infectious diseases researchers Philip Felgner and Aaron Esser-Kahn has received $8 million from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency to help develop a new vaccine for Q fever.

Caused by the Coxiella burnetii bacterium, Q fever is a highly infectious agent common among livestock. It has a history of being aerosolized for use in biological warfare and is considered a potential bioterrorism weapon.

Q fever is also a public health threat; a 2007-10 outbreak in the Netherlands affected thousands of people. Symptoms include high fever, nausea, severe headache and abdominal pain. It is rarely fatal.

“The current vaccine for Q fever is effective but has severe side effects that limit its widespread use,” said Felgner, an adjunct professor of medicine at UCI. “It’s a high priority that this vaccine be administered to members of the armed forces. Consequently, the military is interested in developing an alternative protective vaccine that’s safer and does not cause adverse reactions.”

Felgner will use an approach he pioneered at UCI to create whole proteome microarrays to discover immune response-activating antigen proteins that may be effective as a vaccine. Additionally, he’ll collaborate with Esser-Kahn, assistant professor of chemistry, whose group will develop synthetic agents that can boost and control the immune response to these proteins.

Felgner said this dual method may be applicable in creating more vaccines important to the military and general public health, adding that this is an opportunity for the Department of Defense to test these methods for their potential use against other infectious diseases.

After identifying the target proteins, Felgner will work with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick in Maryland on next-stage animal studies of a candidate vaccine.

The project is a successful outgrowth of the Pacific Southwest Regional Center of Excellence, one of only 11 National Institutes of Health-funded research sites dedicated to countering threats from bioterrorism agents and emerging infectious diseases. UCI received $85 million for this effort, which was led by Dr. Alan Barbour, professor of microbiology & molecular genetics. The federal program ended in 2015.

https://news.uci.edu/2016/03/28/uci-scientists-receive-8-million-to-help-develop-q-fever-vaccine/