Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of Q fever, a zoonotic disease found worldwide. The bacterium is a fascinating example of intracellular parasitism that has uniquely evolved to thrive in the most inhospitable of cellular compartments-the phagolysosome. Understanding how C. burnetii resists the degradative functions of this vacuole, and the host cell functions coopted for successful parasitism, are central to understanding Q fever pathogenesis. Recent achievements in glycomics and proteomics are guiding development of enhanced detection schemes for the bacterium in addition to shedding light on the host immune response to the pathogen. Several chapters survey immune functions that control or potentially exacerbate Coxiella infection and delve into correlates of protective immunity elicited by vaccination. Comparative genomics is also the foundation of chapters discussing diagnostic antigen discovery and molecular typing of the bacterium, with significance for development of new clinical, epidemiologic, and forensic tools.

Over 20 years have elapsed since publication of the seminal two volume series entitled Q Fever: The Biology of Coxiella burnetii (edited by J. C. Williams and H. A. Thompson) and Q fever: The Disease (edited by T. J. Marrie) that described the current state of Coxiella burnetii research. The ensuing years have brought the post-genomic era and accompanying technologies that have catalyzed major advances in the field, including milestones discoveries of genetic transformation and host cell-free growth of this former obligate intracellular bacterium. Understanding how the bacterium resists the degradative functions of vacuole, and the host cell functions coopted for successful parasitism, are central to understanding Q fever pathogenesis. Recent achievements in glycomics and proteomics are guiding development of enhanced detection schemes for the bacterium in addition to shedding light on the host immune response to the pathogen. The book covers the current state-of-the-art knowledge in the selected fields of C. burnetii/Q fever research. Coxiella has matured from a niche organism, investigated by a handful of laboratories worldwide, to a model system to study macrophage parasitism, developmental biology, host-pathogen interactions, and immune evasion/modulation.