Do Kangaroos Carry Q Fever?

Q fever serosurveys of wild kangaroo populations in Australia have consistently shown high prevalence of Q fever antibodies in kangaroos and wallabies. In Western Australia, grey and red kangaroos have had high Q fever seroprevalence (33%), higher than Q fever seroprevalence in sheep and cattle in the same area.

Can you get Q fever from kangaroos?

Direct contact with infected joeys and/or kangaroos and exposure to infected kangaroo ticks are plausible risk factors for Q fever transmission. Although the kangaroo tissue and ticks did not test positive during this investigation, both kangaroos and the kangaroo tick Amblyomma triguttatum have been shown to carry C.

What animals carry Q fever?

Cattle, sheep and goats are the main sources of infection, however a wide range of animals including domestic and feral dogs and cats, feral pigs, horses, rabbits, rodents, alpacas, camels, llamas, foxes, and Australian native wildlife (including kangaroos, wallabies and bandicoots) can also spread the bacteria to ...