Which statement correctly describes C. burnetii?

Which statement correctly describes C. burnetii?

• A. It is a strictly extracellular organism
• B. It is a virus
• C. It is a Gram-positive diplococcus
• D. It is a facultative intracellular coccobacillus

Answer: (D)

Coxiella burnetii is a bacterium that can live inside host cells as well as outside them. It is not a virus, and it is not a Gram-positive diplococcus. Instead, it is a small Gram-negative coccobacillus that behaves as a facultative intracellular pathogen, meaning it can replicate within macrophages or other phagocytes while also surviving in the extracellular environment under certain conditions. This dual lifestyle is why the statement describing it as a facultative intracellular coccobacillus best fits.

Coxiella burnetii is a bacterium that can live inside host cells as well as outside them. It is not a virus, and it is not a Gram-positive diplococcus. Instead, it is a small Gram-negative coccobacillus that behaves as a facultative intracellular pathogen, meaning it can replicate within macrophages or other phagocytes while also surviving in the extracellular environment under certain conditions. This dual lifestyle is why the statement describing it as a facultative intracellular coccobacillus best fits.