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Multiple Choice

What is the most common clinical finding in livestock on farms or in areas where Coxiella burnetii is highly suspected or endemic?

In livestock, the most consistent and defining finding when Coxiella burnetii is present is spontaneous abortion, especially in sheep and goats during late gestation. The bacterium targets placental tissue, causing placentitis and fetal loss, and infected birth fluids and placentas shed large amounts of the organism into the environment. This abortion pattern is a key clue for suspicion of Q fever on farms or in endemic areas, more so than fever, cough, or diarrhea, which are not typical primary signs in ruminants.

In livestock, the most consistent and defining finding when Coxiella burnetii is present is spontaneous abortion, especially in sheep and goats during late gestation. The bacterium targets placental tissue, causing placentitis and fetal loss, and infected birth fluids and placentas shed large amounts of the organism into the environment. This abortion pattern is a key clue for suspicion of Q fever on farms or in endemic areas, more so than fever, cough, or diarrhea, which are not typical primary signs in ruminants.