Q fever is caused by the intracellular coccobacillus Coxiella burnetii [52] after exposure to infected sheep, cattle, goats, or other livestock [8] . The bacterium's spore-like form is resistant to heat and desiccation, and it can persist for months [8] . This form can be distributed easily by wind [8] . It is highly infective; only 1 to 100 organisms are necessary to produce disease [52] . It cannot be transmitted human-to-human, but tissue may pose a risk [10] . Exposed surfaces can be decontaminated with 5% hydrogen peroxide or 70% ethyl alcohol for 30 minutes [52] .