A former British soldier is suing the Ministry of Defence after contracting Q fever while serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Wayne Blass claims he contracted the disease while diving into ditches where farm animals had been and that antibiotics would have prevented him from getting it. But what exactly is this disease?
Q fever earned its name because it was originally called query fever. Doctors in Australia, who were the first to characterise it, didn’t know what was causing the disease. We now know it’s caused by a bacterium called Coxiella burnetii, which is a member of an unusual family of bacteria that must get inside cells and steal energy from them in order to survive, replicate and spread to another host.
Q fever infections have been reported in humans and animals in every geographical area, with the exception of New Zealand and Antarctica. It’s usually caught from farm animals – mainly cattle, sheep and goats – by inhaling the bacterium in air that has been contaminated with their birthing fluids, urine or faeces. Tick bites and contaminated milk can also transmit the infection, but human-to-human transmission is very rare.
It’s not surprising that people who become infected are more likely to have occupations where they have plenty of contact with animals or animal products, such as farm workers, veterinary surgeons, butchers and slaughterhouse workers. Similarly, people living within ten miles of a farm where animals are infected and people who travel to high-risk areas, such as the Middle East, where it is often found, are all at increased risk.
https://theconversation.com/q-fever-a-former-soldier-is-suing-the-government-over-it-but-what-is-this-mysterious-disease-110218