Coxiella burnetii, the causative bacterium of the zoonotic disease Q fever, has been documented in many different species. We describe documented turtles that were PCR positive for C. burnetii from multiple locations in Illinois and Wisconsin, USA. Assessing the conservation implications, reservoir potential, and zoonotic risk requires further research.
Keywords: Coxiella burnetii; Illinois; Q fever; United States; Upper Midwest; Wisconsin; bacteria; reportable disease; reptiles; sentinel species; turtles; zoonoses.