Q fever and contact with kangaroos in New South Wales.

Domestic cattle, sheep and goats are important reservoirs for C. burnetii and exposure to aerosols and dust generated from infected animals is a wellestablished risk factor.2 Of particular importance in transmission are the birth products of ruminants, which contain extremely high concentrations of C. burnetii. Typical high risk occupations associated with Q fever infection include farming, abattoir work and veterinary practice. Domestic pets, wild animals and ticks are also important reservoirs, although the role they play in the transmission of human disease is not well understood. In Australia, bandicoots, kangaroos, possums, dingoes, cats, foxes and wild pigs have all shown serological evidence of C. burnetii infection.3