Q fever

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Q fever n. an acute infectious disease of many animals, including cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and dogs, that is caused by a rickettsia, Coxiella burnetii. It is transmitted to humans primarily through inhalation of infected particles or consumption of contaminated unpasteurized milk, but also via ticks acting as vectors. A severe influenza-like illness develops, sometimes with pneumonia, after an incubation period of up to three weeks. Treatment with tetracyclines or chloramphenicol is effective. See also typhus.

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