infections
Q Fever
Treatment of Q Fever
Antibiotics The initial infection is treated withdoxycycline(a type of antibiotic called atetracycline), taken by mouth. People take the antibiotic until they improve and have had no fever for about 5 days, but they must take it for at least 7 days. Typically, 2 weeks of treatment is required. A longer treatment course may be needed for severe disease. Although some tetracyclines taken for longer than 10 days can cause tooth staining in children younger than 8 years old, a short course (5 to 10 days) ofdoxycyclinein children of all ages is recommended and can be used without causing tooth staining or weakening of tooth enamel (see alsoCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Research on doxycycline and tooth staining). If the heart is affected, treatment is given for months to years. Typically, treatment is given for at least 18 months, but some people need to be treated their entire life. People are usually givendoxycyclineplushydroxychloroquine. Both are taken by mouth. To determine when treatment can be stopped, doctors periodically examine the person and do blood tests. However antibiotic treatment is often only partially effective, and surgery is often needed to replace the damaged heart valves (see figure). 