Q FEVER

Coxiella burnetii is also Q fever

it is also called Query Fever.

Jenn in PA:  I would recommend that you research Q Fever on the internet.  Of all the articles I've read, I've not seen anything that indicates this is related to the "tropics."  In fact, a quick google for "q fever outbreak" revealed this has occurred in Germany, Italy, and in December 2009, in Denmark.  According to the person from the PA DOH I spoke with, the main carriers are sheep, goats, and cattle.  In fact, the outbreak in Denmark was referred to as "goat flu."  One of the main questions I was asked (repeatedly) was whether I had ingested any unpasteurized milk or been to any type of petting zoo recently--what does that have to do with the tropics?

And I can't overlook that the words "my doc has never heard of this" and "but she's sure there are false positives" are in the same paragraph.  Sounds like she's guessing to me.  Glad to hear you say, though, that she was going to research this--wonder if she'll call you back to correct her error.

FYI - I recently ordered a book from Amazon entitled, "The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Q Fever," which should arrive today or tomorrow.  There are official resources out there for those who are looking for them, not to mention physicians having even more access to published articles in various medical literatures.

Since Q Fever is a disease that is required to be reported to the Department of Health, have they contact you yet?  My doctor notified them on a Monday, and I was contact by the DOH the next afternoon.

It's my understanding the physician who ordered the test and to whom the results were reported is required by law to report it to the DOH (not the lab that did the testing).

 

My result was reported to my physician on a Friday, he called the DOH on a Monday, and the DOH called me on a Tuesday.  Your test was done mid November and you never heard from the DOH?  The caseworker who called me acted like she was reading from a pre-printed form of questions she was required to ask me.

 

Maybe your doctor also doesn't know this is a reportable disease.

I asked my Lyme dr. if the infectious disease specialist in Staten Island (for Q Fever consult) is just a pediatric physician--he said he is board certified in both pediatric and adult infectious disease.

My initial Q fever test was highly positive, so off the wall, to be honest I wondered if it was a lab error.  I waited to do anything until I had a follow-up test about 3-4 weeks later, which turned out to be COMPLETELY NEGATIVE.   (The follow-up test was done at the Mayo Clinic labs; the initial test was run at Quest Diagnostics.)  On my own I decided to cancel my echocardiogram and my infectious disease consult, and I also stopped the Doxycyline as I just did not tolerate the medicine and it was just making me miserable. 

I just saw my Lyme dr. yesterday and he is doing a third Q fever titer and am now awaiting the results.  This third test is being done at Quest.  I do not anticipate following through on an ID consult regardless of the results, although my doctor said he would call the specialist himself to get his opinion, depending on the results.

I ordered a book from Amazon regarding Q fever and I honestly feel I never had the flu symptoms or the high fever associated with this disease.  I just have too much else going on with my health at this point to deal with this--something that really is at the bottom of my priorities.  Sorry I'm not of much help!  Good luck!

I tested positive for Lyme Disease again. My Ebstein Barr was high and my HHV-6 was also high. My doctor ran a slew of tests, and these are just some of the results he gave me.

My major symptoms at the time were extreme fatigue and excessive sleepiness plus overall I just didn't feel good and struggled to do routine tasks/functions each day. I'm not surprised the EB was high as I felt like I did when I had mono in high school. FYI: I am one of those people in the middle of the Lyme/MS controversy.

My doctor feels that I have been reinfected with Lyme and possibly Q fever is a part of that, although tick transmission of Q fever is not really proven, I don't think. Or if it is, it is a rare occurrence.

Now that I am off the antibiotics (Doxycycline), I overall feel better, but, as usual, I have developed neurologic symptoms. Both my hands have extreme numbness/tingling to the point they are very painful and stiff, and I also feel like it is now spreading to my lower legs/feet. I am going to start back on Biaxin today, along with an anti-yeast regimen to see if that helps (it usually does). MS does not respond to antibiotics, but my neurological symptoms do, so that's why I have stuck with the Lyme treatment up to this point.

Hi Turn Joe,

Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear of the trouble you had getting diagnosed. Q fever does seem to be a bit of a mystery.

I suspected it for a while as I actually serve as a goat midwife on my farm and one of the ways of contracting is through birthing fluids. However, my LLMD said that it didn't much matter if I had it as he would treat it the same way he was treating my Lyme Disease and co-infections.

I hope your latest treatment helps you out!

BTW, this is a pretty old thread the other posters have not been active on the forum for a while so they may not respond.