Q fever, caused by <i>Coxiella burnetii</i>, is a bacterial zoonosis with a wide clinical spectrum that can be life-threatening and, in some cases, can become chronic.

Paralysis of voluntary muscles means loss of contraction due to interruption of one or more motor pathways from the brain to the muscle fibers. Although the word paralysis is often used interchangeably to mean either complete or partial loss of muscle strength, it is preferable to use paralysis or plegia for complete or severe loss of muscle strength, and paresis for partial or slight loss. Motor paralysis results from deficits of the upper motor neurons (corticospinal, corticobulbar, or subcorticospinal). Motor paralysis is often accompanied by an impairment in the facility of movement.