Q Fever: Single-Point Source Outbreak With High Attack Rates and Massive Numbers of Undetected Infections Across an Entire Region

Abstract

Linking a single dairy-goat farm to a human Q-fever cluster, we show widespread transmission, massive numbers of undetected infections, and high attack rates on- and off-farm, even beyond a 5-km high-risk zone. Our investigation may serve as an essential case study for risk assessment in public health and related fields such as bioterrorism response and preparedness.