Acute Q fever
Q fever is usually a short-term (acute) condition.
The symptoms of acute Q fever usually develop two or three weeks after the initial infection, although it can be as little as two days or as long as 40 days after. The time it takes for symptoms to develop after infection is known as the incubation period. Symptoms include:
- high temperature (fever) of 38°C (100.4°F) or over
- severe headaches
- muscle and joint pain
- sweats
- sore throat
- sensitivity to light
- weight loss
- a skin rash (less commonly)
These symptoms can come on quite suddenly and usually last up to two weeks.
In a few cases, acute Q fever can also cause pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) and hepatitis (inflammation of the liver).
The pneumonia caused by Q fever is usually mild.
Symptoms include:
- a dry cough
- a sharp chest pain that is made worse by breathing deeply, coughing or laughing
As with pneumonia, the hepatitis caused by Q fever is usually mild and many people will experience no obvious symptoms. Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice) is rare.
Chronic Q fever
In some cases, Q fever can become a long-term (chronic) condition. In chronic Q fever, the symptoms can last six months or longer after an acute Q fever infection. You may feel tired and generally unwell for months.
In a few rare cases, chronic Q fever can cause inflammation of the inner lining of the heart (endocarditis). This is more likely to occur if you already have damage to your heart valves, or if you have had heart bypass surgery.
Endocarditis can cause the following symptoms:
- chills
- night sweats
- fever
- shortness of breath
- a cough
- unexplained weight loss
Read more about endocarditis.
Q fever in pregnancy
If you catch Q fever while you are pregnant, it often causes no symptoms. However, it can affect your unborn baby whether you experience any symptoms or not. It can cause:
