Biosecurity

UC Irvine to Develop Q Fever Vaccine

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has awarded a University of California, Irvine scientific team an $8 million contract to help develop a new vaccine for Q fever.

Caused by the Coxiella burnetii bacterium, Q fever is a highly infectious agent common among livestock. It has a history of being aerosolized for use in biological warfare and is considered a potential bioterrorism weapon.

Q fever is also a public health threat; a 2007-10 outbreak in the Netherlands affected thousands of people. Symptoms include high fever, nausea, severe headache and abdominal pain. It is rarely fatal.

The development effort is led by infectious diseases researchers Philip Felgner and Aaron Esser-Kahn.