The objective of this study was to determine MICs of antibiotics for two reference strains of Coxiella burnetii using real time quantitative PCR. The method was very sensitive and specific and allowed the evaluation of the doubling time of Nine Mile and Q212 strains: 37 and 15 h, respectively. Dose response curves of antibiotics were used to determine MICs. Those of doxycycline, fluoroquinolone compounds and rifampicin were in the range 1-4 mg/l. Telithromycin was the most effective macrolide compound with MICs of 1-2 mg/l. The results confirmed previous reports on the accuracy of this new method for the determination of the antibiotic susceptibility of C. burnetii and could be used for the screening of new drugs.