Coxiella burnetii

Coxiella burnetii
A dry fracture of a Vero cell exposing the contents of a vacuole where Coxiella burnetii is growing
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Pseudomonadota
Class: Gammaproteobacteria
Order: Legionellales
Family: Coxiellaceae
Genus: Coxiella
Species:
C. burnetii
Binomial name
Coxiella burnetii
(Derrick 1939)
Philip 1948

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen, and is the causative agent of Q fever.[1] The genus Coxiella is morphologically similar to Rickettsia, but with a variety of genetic and physiological differences. C. burnetii is a small Gram-negative, coccobacillary bacterium that is highly resistant to environmental stresses such as high temperature, osmotic pressure, and ultraviolet light. These characteristics are attributed to a small cell variant form of the organism that is part of a biphasic developmental cycle, including a more metabolically and replicatively active large cell variant form.[2] It can survive standard disinfectants, and is resistant to many other environmental changes like those presented in the phagolysosome.[3]

  1. ^ Shaw EI, Voth DE (January 2019). "Coxiella burnetii: A Pathogenic Intracellular Acidophile". Microbiology. 165 (1): 1–3. doi:10.1099/mic.0.000707. PMC 6600347. PMID 30422108.
  2. ^ Voth DE, Heinzen RA (April 2007). "Lounging in a lysosome: the intracellular lifestyle of Coxiella burnetii". Cellular Microbiology. 9 (4): 829–40. doi:10.1111/j.1462-5822.2007.00901.x. PMID 17381428.
  3. ^ Sankaran N (2000). "Coxiella burnetii". Microbes and people : an A-Z of microorganisms in our lives. Phoenix, Arizona: The Oryx Press. pp. 72. ISBN 1-57356-217-3. "In contrast to other rickettsiae, which are highly sensitive and easily killed by chemical disinfectants and changes in their surroundings, C. burnetii is highly resistant" & "Q fever". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Center for Infectious Diseases; Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases; Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch. 2003-02-13. Retrieved 2006-05-24. "The organisms are resistant to heat, drying, and many common disinfectants."