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Shown here is a dry fracture of a Vero cell exposing the contents of a vacuole where Coxiella burnetii are busy growing. Infection of humans by Coxiella burnetii bacteria usually occurs by inhalation of these organisms from air that contains airborne barnyard dust contaminated by dried placental material, birth fluids, and excreta of infected animals.
Other modes of transmission to humans, including tick bites, ingestion of unpasteurized milk or dairy products, and human to human transmission, are rare. Humans are often very susceptible to the disease, and very few organisms may be required to cause infection.Image credit: NIAID
