Q fever transmission is primarily through inhalation of aerosols from excreta of which animals?

• A. Goats, sheep, cattle
• B. Ingestion of contaminated water
• C. Mosquito bites
• D. Direct contact with infected animals

Answer: (A)

Q fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii and is most often acquired by breathing in aerosols that come from infected domestic ruminants’ birth products—placenta, amniotic fluid, and related excreta. Among animals, goats, sheep, and cattle are the primary reservoirs because they shed large amounts of the organism during parturition, and these infectious aerosols can drift with dust and contaminate the environment. Humans are typically infected through inhalation of these aerosols, not by drinking contaminated water, mosquito bites, or simply by direct contact with the animals. The emphasis is on inhalation of contaminated birth-material–derived aerosols from these animals as the main transmission route.