In cow's milk, pasteurization kills the organism. While giving birth, infected animals shed high numbers of organisms into the placenta and fetal fluids. The acute illness in people is treatable with antibiotics,however it often goes unrecognized. Chronic, long-term complications include infection of heart valves. People with pre-existing heart conditions are at increased risk of chronic infection.
Sheep are a popular animal model for research in obstetrics.
For this reason they have been associated with outbreaks of human disease in medical school settings. Personnel who work with sheep must receive instructions on procedures to follow when working with them. Housing and research arrangements must provide good separation from non-animal work. Personnel who who might be at risk of chronic Q-fever complications must be alerted. Two years later, while working as a dog groomer at a veterinary hospital she was bitten by a dog.