Coxiella burnetii

Coxiella burnetii

Coxiella burnetii is a gram-negative aerobic and living, only about 0.4 microns long and therefore almost coccoid rod bacterium of the family of Coxiellaceae. Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever, and was first described in 1937 in Australia. The pathogen Coxiella burnetii in Germany is subject to the roll-call notification for direct or indirect detection by IfSG § 7 para 1, as far as the detection of acute infection points.

Features

Coxiella is an intracellular parasite, it lives within the cells of the host, Coxiella burnetii, and all other species of the genus Coxiella are surrounded here by a vacuole. In free environment outside the host Coxiella burnetii is a highly resistant against external influences cell shape with thickened cell wall. As with the rickettsia a free breeding to breeding ground is difficult for culturing yolk sacs are often used by chicken embryos.

Transmission

The pathogen is spread worldwide and can mainly of sheep, but also from pets like cats and dogs, as well as cattle and goats are transmitted to humans.

When transferring between animals serve as an actual vector ticks, also recording of infected excreta, such as feces or milk that can be transferred. Human infection occurs via air, eg via the inhalation of infected dust. Coxiella burnetii is extremely capable of surviving in dry materials the bacteria remain infectious for several months. Transmission from person to person is rare. Q fever is common worldwide, please cases of the disease in Germany. The triggered by Coxiella burnetii immunity is long-lasting.

System

Coxiella burnetii is provided earlier to the family Rickettsiaceae. Here you will find other pathogens that are also as Coxiella intracellular parasites. Coxiella morphologically very similar to Rickettsia, genetically they are however far apart. So Coxiella was placed in another class, the Gammaproteobacteria, the Rickettsiaceae other hand, are assigned to the Alphaproteobacteria.