Q Fever Antibodies in Dairy Cattle and in Humans in Washington State

RECENT studies indicate that Q fever is much more widespread in the United States than was formerly realized.Infection in cat¬ tle has now been demonstrated in 35 States, and human infection has been reported from 18 of these States (1)."Significantly," Luoto states, "infections are being detected wherever a search for the disease is made" (2).A limited serologic survey in eastern Wash¬ ington in 1948-49 (3) found Q fever in both humans and animals, and the author concluded that cattle were an important reservoir.To provide up-to-date information on the disease throughout the State, we conducted a screen¬ ing survey for the presence of Q fever anti¬ bodies in dairy cows and in humans in 1959.