Q fever: the long journey to control by vaccination

Marmion, Barrie

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb00853.x

Topics

The current whole-cell vaccine and protocol for Q fever prophylaxis are effective

At the end of 2006, the Australian Ministers for Health and Agriculture announced funding for an upgraded facility to allow CSL Limited to recommence production of the Q fever vaccine (Q-Vax) and comply with changed biocontainment regulations.1 Production of the vaccine had ceased at the end of 2005 because of inability to meet these new regulations and other production pressures. Federal government support is a welcome step forward in the control of a major infective disease in Australia, and comes as a substantial relief to the rural community and meat processors. In addition, it keeps faith with the considerable efforts by state health department immunisation teams and medical practitioners to extend the use of the vaccine from abattoirs to the at-risk rural community during the government-subsidised National Q Fever Management Program, 2001–2003/2004 (http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/q-fever-man).

Correspondence: bpmarmion@iprimus.com.au

Acknowledgements:

Dedicated to the memory of R A (Dick) Ormsbee, who with Paul Fiset developed an improved whole-cell Q fever vaccine (1960–1970) and saw its protective efficacy and licensing in 1989 before his untimely death in an accident in 1991.

1. Abbott T, McGauran P. Q fever vaccine. Joint press release. 30 Nov 2006. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/health-mediarel-yr2006-ta-abb157.htm (accessed Jan 2007).
2. Ormsbee RA, Marmion BP. Prevention of Coxiella burnetii infection: vaccines and guidelines for those at risk. In: Marrie TJ, editor. Q fever. Vol 1. The disease. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press, 1990: 225-248.
3. Derrick EH. The query fever. The Elkington Oration. Queensland’s Health 1964; 1(5): 3-22.
4. Stoker MG, Fiset P. Phase variation of the Nine Mile and other strains of Rickettsia burnetii. Can J Microbiol 1956; 2: 310-321.
5. Abinanti FR, Marmion BP. Protective or neutralizing antibody in Q fever. Am J Hyg 1957; 66: 173-195.
6. Hoover TA, Culp DW, Vodkin MH, et al. Chromosomal deletions explain phenotypic characteristics of two antigenic variants phase II and RSA14 (crazy) of the Coxiella burnetii Nine Mile strain. Infect Immun 2002; 70: 6726–6733.
7. Denison AM, Massung RF, Thompson HA. Analysis of the O-antigen biosynthesis regions of phase II isolates of Coxiella burnetii. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2007; 267: 102-107.
8. Ormsbee RA, Bell EJ, Lackman DB, Tallent G. The influence of phase on the protective potency of Q fever vaccine. J Immunol 1964; 92: 404-412.
9. Koster FT, Williams JC, Goodwin JS. Cellular immunity in Q fever: modulation of responsiveness by a suppressor T cell-monocyte circuit. J Immunol 1985; 135: 1067-1072.
10. Izzo AA, Marmion BP. Variation in interferon-gamma responses to Coxiella burnetii antigens with lymphocytes from vaccinated or naturally infected subjects. Clin Exp Immunol 1993; 94: 507-515.
11. Derrick EH. A mystery disease invades Brisbane. Records Australian Academy of Science 1972; 2(3): 39-51.
12. Zhang G, Samuel JE. Vaccines against Coxiella infection. Expert Rev Vaccines 2004; 3: 577-584.
13. Tyczka J, Eberling S, Baljer G. Immunization experiments with recombinant Coxiella burnetii proteins in a murine infection model. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2005; 1063: 143-148.
14. Li Q, Niu D, Wen B, et al. Protective immunity against Q fever induced with a recombinant P1 antigen fused with HspB of Coxiella burnetii. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2005; 1063: 130-142.

Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.