Q fever historical perspective
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ahmed Younes M.B.B.CH [2]
Overview
Q fever was first described by Edward Holbrook Derrick in Australia and the pathogen was first described in 1937 by Frank Macfarlane Burnet.
Historical Perspective
- Q fever was first described by Edward Holbrook Derrick in abattoir workers in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.[1]
- The "Q" stands for "query" and was applied at a time when the causative agent was unknown; it was chosen over suggestions of "abattoir fever" and "Queensland rickettsial fever" to avoid directing negative connotations at either the cattle industry or the state of Queensland.[2]
- The pathogen causing Q fever was discovered in 1937 when Frank Macfarlane Burnet and Mavis Freeman isolated the bacterium from one of Derrick’s patients.[3]
- It was originally identified as a species of the genus Rickettsia. H. R. Cox and Gordon Davis isolated it from ticks in Montana, USA, in 1938.[4] It is a zoonotic disease whose most common animal reservoirs are cattle, sheep, and goats. Coxiella burnetii is no longer regarded as closely related to Rickettsiae, but as similar to Legionella and Francisella, and is a proteobacterium.
Biological warfare
- Q fever has been described as a possible biological weapon.[5]
- The United States investigated Q fever as a potential biological warfare agent in the 1950s, with eventual standardization as agent OU. At Fort Detrick and Dugway Proving Ground, human trials were conducted on whitecoat volunteers to determine the median infective dose (18 MICLD50/person i.h.) and the course of infection.
- As a standardized biological, it was manufactured in large quantities at Pine Bluff Arsenal, with 5,098 gallons in the arsenal in bulk at the time of demilitarization in 1970.
- Q fever is a category "B" agent.[6] It can be contagious, and is very stable in aerosols in a wide range of temperatures. Q fever microorganisms may survive on surfaces for up to 60 days.
References
- ↑ Derrick EH. Q" fever a new fever entity: clinical features. diagnosis, and laboratory investigation. Med J Aust. 1937;11:281-299.
- ↑ Joseph E. McDade (1990). "Historical Aspects of Q Fever". In Thomas J. Marrie. Q Fever, Volume I: The Disease. CRC Press. p. 8. ISBN 0-8493-5984-8.
- ↑ Burnet FM, Freeman M. Experimental studies on the virus of “Q” fever. Med J Aust 1937; 2: 299-305.
- ↑ Davis, G. E., and H. R. Cox. 1938. A filter-passing infectious agent isolated from ticks. I. Isolation from Dermacentor andersonii, reactions in animals, and filtration. Public Health Rep. 53:2259-2282.
- ↑ "Q fever: a biological weapon in your backyard - ScienceDirect".
- ↑ "Complete genome sequence of the Q-fever pathogen Coxiella burnetii".