Q Fever Outbreak in Industrial Setting

Abstract

An outbreak of Q fever was likely caused by renovation work that aerosolized contaminated straw board.

Influence of the Environment and Occupational Exposure on the Occurrence of Q Fever

“…One potential source identified was straw board in walls and ceilings disturbed by the renovation work. If a straw board had been contaminated some time in the past with a concentrated source of C. burnetii, drilling into this could have produced a cloud of dust containing large numbers of C. burnetii spore-like forms (30). Demonstration of the presence of C. burnetii by PCR in the samples from an air-conditioning system supported the view that air-conditioning system could contribute to aerosol transmission of the agent (31).…”

Evaluation of zoonotic disease and exposures in persons working with marine mammals.

“…C. burnetii in its spore like form is highly resistant to desiccation, and can survive for extended periods in the environment [van Woerden et al 2004]. We sampled in infrequently cleaned areas and collected dust from vacuum cleaner bags to maximize our chances of detecting C. burnetii, yet we detected C. burnetii in only one sample.…”

“…Transmission typically occurs via inhalation of contaminated aerosols or dust, but C. burnetii can rarely be transmitted by tick bites or ingestion of unpasteurized dairy products. Aerosols may be generated from infected animals, placental tissues and fluids, waste products, and contaminated straw or bedding [van Woerden et al 2004].…”

The value of follow-up after acute Q fever infection

“…1 This is a case report of a 53-year-old woman involved in the outbreak, in whom Q fever endocarditis was diagnosed 18 months after acute Q fever infection.Atthe timeof diagnosis, she was completely asymptomatic and without screening for chronic Q fever, this severe potentially life-threatening Journal of Infection (2006) infection would probably not have been recognised until significant valvular destruction had taken place. Early diagnosis enabled prompt, potentially curative medical treatment to start without the need for valvular heart surgery.…”