An Outbreak of Q fever in a prison in Italy

We observed an outbreak of Q fever in a prison population. Overall, 65 of the 600 prison inmates
developed the disease. The location of the prison cells had no apparent effect on the risk of
infection. The outbreak was probably due to exposure to dust contaminated by a passing flock of
sheep, which at the time of the outbreak was engaged in lambing. These findings highlight the
possible emergence of Q fever in settings and populations not normally thought of as being at
risk of exposure to the infection.