OBJECTIVE: To study the frequency of Q fever in HIV-infected individuals. DESIGN: A seroprevalence study. SETTING: French National Reference Centre for Rickettsial Agents, Marseille, France. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five out of the 68 hospitalized cases of Q fever diagnosed in 1987-1989 were also HIV-infected and are described here. Sera from a blood-donor bank (n = 925) and from HIV-positive individuals selected at random, irrespective of clinical or immunological status (n = 500) were tested for Q fever. RESULTS: Comparisons of the two groups showed a statistically significant difference (2.4 versus 0.8%; Fisher's exact test) at the diagnostic dilution 1:200 and at the dilution considered positive for seroprevalence study (1:1000). CONCLUSIONS: Using the estimated incidence of HIV infection in Marseille, the number of Q fever cases in 1987-1989 was 13 times higher and the clinical expression more frequently symptomatic in the HIV-positive population than in the general one. The prevalence:seroprevalence ratio for Q fever was 1.37% in the HIV-positive group and 0.36% in the blood-donor group. Sera positive for Q fever were confirmed by Western blot analysis in order to minimize cross-reaction. Transmission of Q fever appears to be more frequent in HIV-positive individuals than in the general population; this is not surprising, since Coxiella burnetii lives in the phagolysosome, like other micro-organisms described in immunocompromised hosts. Q fever should be added to the spectrum of diseases that occur more frequently during HIV infection.
OBJECTIVE: To study the frequency of Q fever in HIV-infected individuals. DESIGN: A seroprevalence study. SETTING: French National Reference Centre for Rickettsial Agents, Marseille, France. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five out of the 68 hospitalized cases of Q fever diagnosed in 1987-1989 were also HIV-infected and are described here. Sera from a blood-donor bank (n = 925) and from HIV-positive individuals selected at random, irrespective of clinical or immunological status (n = 500) were tested for Q fever. RESULTS: Comparisons of the two groups showed a statistically significant difference (2.4 versus 0.8%; Fisher's exact test) at the diagnostic dilution 1:200 and at the dilution considered positive for seroprevalence study (1:1000). CONCLUSIONS: Using the estimated incidence of HIV infection in Marseille, the number of Q fever cases in 1987-1989 was 13 times higher and the clinical expression more frequently symptomatic in the HIV-positive population than in the general one. The prevalence:seroprevalence ratio for Q fever was 1.37% in the HIV-positive group and 0.36% in the blood-donor group. Sera positive for Q fever were confirmed by Western blot analysis in order to minimize cross-reaction. Transmission of Q fever appears to be more frequent in HIV-positive individuals than in the general population; this is not surprising, since Coxiella burnetii lives in the phagolysosome, like other micro-organisms described in immunocompromised hosts. Q fever should be added to the spectrum of diseases that occur more frequently during HIV infection.
Authors: Malavika Prabhu; William L Nicholson; Aubree J Roche; Gilbert J Kersh; Kelly A Fitzpatrick; Lindsay D Oliver; Robert F Massung; Anne B Morrissey; John A Bartlett; Jecinta J Onyango; Venance P Maro; Grace D Kinabo; Wilbrod Saganda; John A Crump Journal: Clin Infect Dis Date: 2011-08 Impact factor: 9.079
Authors: Halie K Miller; Loredana Santo; M Constanza Camargo; Cheryl A Winkler; James J Goedert; Gilbert J Kersh; Charles S Rabkin Journal: Blood Date: 2017-04-10 Impact factor: 22.113
Authors: Kathleen E Sullivan; Hamid Bassiri; Ahmed A Bousfiha; Beatriz T Costa-Carvalho; Alexandra F Freeman; David Hagin; Yu L Lau; Michail S Lionakis; Ileana Moreira; Jorge A Pinto; M Isabel de Moraes-Pinto; Amit Rawat; Shereen M Reda; Saul Oswaldo Lugo Reyes; Mikko Seppänen; Mimi L K Tang Journal: J Clin Immunol Date: 2017-08-07 Impact factor: 8.317
Authors: L Bélec; G Grésenguet; M T Ekala; A Jacob; M D Vohito; S Cotigny; C Payan Journal: Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis Date: 1993-10 Impact factor: 3.267