[The behavior of the Q-fever agent, Coxiella burnetii, in birds. 3. Experimental infection of quail].

After simultaneous aerogenic and alimentary infection of quail by intra-nasal inoculation of a suspension of C. burnetii, the agent was reisolated 6 h after infection from lung and gut, from the 3rd day on from the spleen, at the 8th and 10th day from blood, and from the 8th day on from liver and kidney. C.burnetii was found in various organs up to 21 days after infection. In the majority of birds agglutinating antibodies could be demonstrated from the 18th day up to termination of the experiment 66 days after infection. On the basis of these results the course of a C. burnetii infection in birds is discussed.