Q fever and prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in milk

•Characteristics of C. burnetii the causative agent of Q fever are presented.•Infection sources and epidemiology of Q fever are discussed.•The presence of C. burnetii in milk and its role in human infection is reviewed.•Detection methods of C. burnetii in milk are presented.•The worldwide prevalence of C. burnetii in milk samples is presented.