OVERVIEW
Caused by the zoonotic rickettsia Coxiella burnetii
Infection—most commonly by inhalation or ingestion of organisms while feeding on infected body fluids (urine, feces, milk, or parturient discharges), tissues (especially placenta), or carcasses of infected animal reservoir hosts (cattle, sheep, goats); can occur after tick exposure (many species of ticks implicated)
Lungs—thought to be main portal of entry to systemic circulation
Organism replicates in vascular endothelium; causes widespread vasculitis; severity depends on the pathogenicity of the strain of organism; vasculitis results in necrosis and hemorrhage in lungs, liver, and CNS
An extended latent period exists after recovery until chronic immune-complex phenomena develop; organism reactivated out of the latent state during parturition, resulting in large numbers entering the placenta, parturient fluids, urine, feces, and milk
Endemic worldwide
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