Q fever epidemiology and demographics
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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Epidemiology and demographics
In 1999, Q fever became a notifiable disease in the United States but reporting is not required in many other countries. Because the disease is underreported, scientists cannot reliably assess how many cases of Q fever have actually occurred worldwide. Many human infections are inapparent.
The pathogenic agent is to be found everywhere except Antarctica and New Zealand. In Europe it appears as hepatitis rather than pneumonia as in the United States. The bacterium is extremely sustainable and infectious: a single organism is able to cause an infection. The common way of infection is inhalation of contaminated dust, contact with contaminated milk, meat, wool and particularly birthing products. Ticks can transfer the pathogenic agent to other animals. Transfer between humans seems extremely rare and has so far been described in very few cases.
Men are slightly more often affected than women, which most likely is attributed to different employment rates in typical professions.
This disease is occasionally seen in children, especially those who live on a farm. In infected children younger than 3 years old, Q fever is usually discovered during a search for the cause of pneumonia.