Woldehiwet, Zerai · Research in veterinary science · 2004 · DOI
Q fever is an infection caused by bacteria that spread from animals to humans, usually through contact with infected livestock. In some people, Q fever causes a long-lasting illness with fatigue, similar to ME/CFS symptoms. This review summarizes what we know about how Q fever spreads and why it makes people sick.
This study is relevant to ME/CFS research because it documents an infectious agent (C. burnetii) that can produce chronic fatigue syndrome as a clinical manifestation. Understanding how bacterial infections can trigger post-infectious fatigue syndromes may provide insights into ME/CFS pathogenesis and the role of infection as a potential trigger or contributing factor.
This review does not prove that C. burnetii causes ME/CFS in the general population, nor does it establish causal relationships between Q fever infection and ME/CFS development. The study describes Q fever as one condition that can include chronic fatigue symptoms, but does not demonstrate that all or most ME/CFS cases result from Q fever infection. It also does not provide evidence on the frequency of chronic fatigue as a complication of Q fever.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Woldehiwet, Zerai (2004). Q fever (coxiellosis): epidemiology and pathogenesis.. Research in veterinary science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2003.09.001
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-woldehiwet-2004-fever-coxiellosis,
author = {Woldehiwet, Zerai},
title = {Q fever (coxiellosis): epidemiology and pathogenesis.},
journal = {Research in veterinary science},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1016/j.rvsc.2003.09.001},
note = {PubMed: 15196898},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/woldehiwet-2004-fever-coxiellosis},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/woldehiwet-2004-fever-coxiellosis
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