Acute and chronic Q fever in patients with cancer.

Q fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii, a strictly intracellular bacterium that lives within the phagolysosome of infected cells. We report here five cases of Q fever in patients with cancer. Three of them had a solid tumor, one had a B cell lymphoma, and one had chronic myeloid leukemia. One patient had acute Q fever, and the four others had chronic Q fever endocarditis. Two patients with endocarditis had no previous history of valvulopathy. C. burnetii was isolated from the valves of two patients. One of the patients with endocarditis died. Patients with cancer who have unexplained fever and live in areas in which C. burnetii is endemic should undergo serological testing for infection with this microorganism.