Q FEVER

Course overview

Q FEVER IS A ZOONOTIC FEBRILE DISEASE AFFECTING WORKERS INVOLVED IN FARMING LIVESTOCK. IT IS AN UNDERREPORTED DISEASE WITH LESSER RECOGNITION. Q FEVER, AN ACUTE ZOONOTIC FEBRILE ILLNESS WITH A WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION, WAS DISCOVERED FIRST IN QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, IN 1935 AMONG MEAT WORKERS. AS A CAUSE COULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED, IT WAS LABELED “Q (QUERY) FEVER.” THIS DISEASE HAS OCCURRED AS OUTBREAKS AMONG LIVESTOCK AND FARM WORKERS HANDLING UNGULATES. CLINICAL PRESENTATION IS OFTEN A SELF-LIMITED FEBRILE ILLNESS, BUT SEVERE MANIFESTATIONS CAN OCCUR. IT IS REPORTABLE IN THE UNITED STATES, AND ITS AGENT, C. BURNETII, IS CONSIDERED A POTENTIAL BIOTERRORISM AGENT. THIS ACTIVITY WILL HELP UNDERSTAND ITS CAUSES, EPIDEMIOLOGY, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE CONDITION BY AN INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM.