Bug Breakfast in the Bulletin: Q fever

Abstract

Human transmission occurs through inhalation of aerosols of infected body fluids, the ingestion of unpasteurised milk or dairy products, or by inhalation of dried infectious dusts. Person-to-person transmission is rare. Those most at risk of Q fever are abattoir workers, livestock workers and veterinarians, farmers, shearers and laboratory workers. The Australian annual notification rate peaked at 4.9 per 100000 persons in 1993 and decreased to 1.7 per 100000 persons in 2005.3 The highest incidence of Q fever occurs in south and central-western Queensland and northern NSW areas with men aged 40–44 years having the highest age-specific rate.4,5