Overexpression of the Per2 gene in male patients with acute Q fever.

The prevalence of Q fever is higher in men than in women. Because the expression of circadian clock genes differs in male and female mice infected with Coxiella burnetii, we hypothesized that circadian genes are differently modulated in men and women with Q fever. The expression of the Per2 gene was significantly (P = .01) increased in males with acute Q fever compared with healthy volunteers. No significant difference was observed in females. We showed for the first time that gender altered the expression of a circadian gene, Per2, in an infectious disease.