Acute Q fever among febrile patients in Zahedan, southeastern Iran.

Aim: So far, few studies have been conducted on Q fever in Iran. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of acute Q fever in febrile patients admitted to Boo-Ali Hospital in Zahedan (southeastern Iran).

Materials And Methods: In this study, 105 febrile patients suspected ofhaving brucellosis were examined using indirect immunofluorescent assay kit for the detection of Coxiella burnetii IgM and IgG phase antibodies in their serum. Serum with a phase II IgG titer of > or =256 and a phase II IgM titer of > or =50 was predictive for acute Q fever. Additionally, a 4-fold rise in antibody titers was considered diagnostic of Q fever. Results were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 for Windows.

Results: Among 105 patients (male: 52, female: 53), 35.2% (37/105) febrile patients had a positive serology test for acute Q fever. The prevalence of acute Q fever in women and men was 17/37 (45.9%) and 20/37 (54%), respectively. There was serological evidence of past infection in 36 (34.3%) patients.

Conclusion: According to the results of our study, acute Q fever is highly prevalent in this province. Thus, it is necessary to pay attention to this disease to prevent its transmission in this region.