Publication: First Documented Zoonotic Case of Q Fever in Penang, Malaysia
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Date
2011
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Abstract
Q fever is a rickettsial disease caused by Coxiella burnetii. The disease is also known as Query Fever due to its dubious etiology and pathogenesis. Q fever was first identified in Queensland Australia in 1935, since then the disease has been reported worldwide in farm animals. In 1959, there was an outbreak in Queensland, Australia associated with sheep contacts2 and in 1969, in the Brisbane meat works with a 7.9% incidence. It is highly infectious as clinical illness can be produced by a single inhaled organism. Virulence is low as most patients experience asymptomatic seroconversion. Bush reported the first probable case of human clinical infection in Selangor, Malaysia in 1952. This outbreak was thought to be caused by infection of infected milk. Q fever was also reported in Malaya in 1955 during a World Health Organization assisted survey, but there had not been any references to it in Peninsular Malaysia since. The disease was also not listed as a notifiable disease under the Control of Communicable Act Malaysia 1988. Livestock in Malaysia were subjected to stringent screening measures by the Veterinary Department, but not for Q fever.