Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is a Gram negative coccobacillus. It resides and replicates in the host s monocytes and macrophages. The developmental cycle of C. burnetii includes macrocellular and microcellular forms and the formation of spore-like bodies. It undergoes a phase variation of outer cell surface antigens from virulent phase I to avirulent phase II after passaging in the yolk sac of embryonated chicken eggs or in cell cultures. C. burnetii belongs to the most resistant bacteria. The main reservoirs of C. burnetii are cattle, sheep and goats. Human Q fever usually results from inhalation of contaminated aerosols. Acute infection mostly takes the course of a flu-like disease, atypical pneumonia or hepatitis, the chronic form resembles endocarditis. Laboratory examinations are based on the presence of antibodies. The drugs of choice are broad-spectrum antibiotics.
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Infect Drug Resist
January 2025
Department of Organ Transplantation, The Third Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the Gram-negative bacterium , typically transmitted through exposure to infected animal secretions. As the clinical signs of Q-fever are largely non-specific in humans, a definitive diagnosis can often be overlooked, particularly when physicians fail to consider on the list of differentials. This case report describes Q-fever in a male patient who had previously undergone orthotopic liver transplantation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Vet Res
January 2025
Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Background: Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of Q fever in humans, a zoonosis of increasingly important public health concern. The disease results in significant economic losses to livestock farmers and its presence in ready-to-eat dairy products poses a public health threat to consumers.
Aim: This study aimed to detect Coxiella burnetii in dairy products in Kwara State, Nigeria.
Am J Trop Med Hyg
December 2024
Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Acute Q fever diagnosis via paired serology is problematic because it requires follow-up for convalescent sample collection; as such, it cannot provide a diagnosis to inform a treatment decision at the time of acute presentation. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may be a useful approach for the diagnosis of acute Q fever in endemic settings. Among febrile patients enrolled in a sentinel surveillance study for Q fever at two referral hospitals in Moshi, Tanzania, from 2012 to 2014, we analyzed those with paired sera for IgG to Coxiella burnetii (C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrop Med Int Health
December 2024
Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania.
Background: Acute febrile illness is a common reason for seeking healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. We describe the diagnostic utility of a TaqMan Array Card (TAC) real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel for pathogen detection in paediatric and adult inpatients admitted with febrile illness.
Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we screened medical admissions for a tympanic temperature ≥38.
BMC Res Notes
December 2024
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, National Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, P.O. Box: 249, Holeta, Ethiopia.
Background: The reproductive problem is an animal health-related bottleneck that constrains livestock genetic improvement efforts in tropical countries such as Ethiopia. The infectious causes of reproductive disorders are one cause of decreased reproductive efficiency. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence to Bovine Herpesvirus-1 (BHV1), Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), Neospora caninum (N.
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