Question

Which one of the following diseases is transmitted by a tick?

• A. Rickettsial pox
• B. Epidemic typhus
• C. Q fever
• D. Trench fever

Hint:

Three of these four infections spread through lice or mites; only one has ticks in its natural cycle.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

This question is really about matching each organism to its arthropod vector rather than just its name.

1. Rickettsial pox: caused by Rickettsia akari, spread by mites living on house mice, not a tick.
2. Epidemic typhus: caused by Rickettsia prowazekii and spread by the human body louse.
3. Q fever: caused by Coxiella burnetii, which circulates among cattle, sheep, and goats through a tick-borne cycle in nature, making it the tick-transmitted disease among the four.
4. Trench fever: caused by Bartonella quintana and, like epidemic typhus, spread by the body louse.

Correct answer: Q fever.