Clinical Information

Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is a small obligately intracellular bacterium associated with animals. Acquired through aerosol exposure, it generally causes mild respiratory disease. A small number of acute cases advance to a chronic infection, which typically manifests as endocarditis. Left untreated, Q fever endocarditis may be fatal. Serologic and histopathologic studies may be nonspecific and subjective, respectively, limiting usefulness for patient diagnosis.

Evaluation of infected tissue, blood, or serum using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may be a useful tool for diagnosing some cases of Coxiella burnetii infection. Mayo Clinic Laboratories has developed a real-time PCR test that rapidly detects Coxiella burnetii DNA in clinical specimens by targeting a sequence of the shikimate dehydrogenase gene (aroE) unique to Coxiella burnetii.