Description

Coxiella burnetii is the agent of Q fever (query fever), a disease first described by Derrick in 1937. Acute Q fever is an infectious disease with a worldwide distribution. Although in most cases is a self-limited benign infection with a variety of clinical manifestations, in rare cases serious chronic disease can occur. The epidemiological and clinical features of the disease vary from one area of the world to another. Coxiella burnetii has been linked recently with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Today our knowledge of various features of acute and chronic disease remains incomplete and requires further investigation. For example, we do not know which patient will develop chronic disease, what will be the course of untreated infection of undiagnosed cases or the result of treatment with ineffective antibiotics. Little is known about the role of Coxiella burnetii in pregnancy, premature birth and abortion in the community. This update aims to highlight the microbiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of Q fever, by addressing some of these questions.