Q fever and brucellosis are zoonoses that cause fever and other systemic clinical signs in humans; their occurrences are neglected and the differential diagnosis for some diseases is disregarded. This study aimed to investigate the seropositivity for Coxiella burnetii and Brucella spp. antibodies in patients suspected of dengue from 38 municipalities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The samples (n = 604) were obtained by convenience from the Adolfo Lutz Institute serum bank. Sera were subjected to an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using in-house and commercial diagnostic protocols to evaluate C. burnetii positivity. For Brucella spp., sera were subjected to rapid plate serum agglutination with buffered acidified antigen (AAT), slow tube serum agglutination (SAL), and 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) techniques. Associations and statistical inferences of the results were performed by logistic regression according to the clinical and demographic variables collected from the patients. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) and associations were considered when p value was <0.05. In all, 129 patients showed positive results for Q fever, indicating a seropositivity of 21.4% (95% CI 18.15–24.85). Patients with 14–20 days of symptoms had 2.12 (95% CI 1.34–3.35) times more chances of being seropositive for Q fever than patients with 7–13 days, and patients with 21–27 days of fever had 2.62 (95% CI 1.27–5.41) times more chances of being seropositive for Q fever than patients with 7–13 days. For the other variables analyzed, there were no significant associations between the groups. No positivity for brucellosis was observed. This is the most comprehensive study of people seropositive for Q fever in São Paulo state and provides additional data for the medical community in Brazil. It is suggested that Q fever may be an important differential diagnosis of febrile illnesses in the region, demanding the government’s attention and investment in health.

This review aims to provide current information about Q fever, elucidating the etiological, epidemiological, pathogenic, clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic, and prophylactic aspects of the disease for the medical community. We discuss the main forms of presentation of the agent, its ability to persist in the body, the infinite possibilities of susceptible hosts, the main known forms of transmission, its importance in populations at occupational risk, and the role of arthropods in the natural history of the disease. Focusing on Brazil, we present the cases already described and studies developed since its first report, and how there is still much to unravel. We are aware of the possibilities of the persistence of the agent and the development of severe clinical pictures and the specific treatments currently instituted. We also wish to raise awareness about the future, the new genotypes that are emerging, the need to study the effects of vaccines, and the impact of Q fever on the population. Q fever is a poorly understood disease in Latin America, and recent studies, especially in Brazil, have revealed the importance of developing new studies.

The performance of a commercial immunofluorescence assay (IFA commercial), an in-house immunofluorescence assay (IFA in-house) and an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were evaluated in the detection of antibodies anti-C. burnetii in the serum of Q fever patients and persons without the disease. For the study, seropositive and seronegative samples for Q fever (n = 200) from a serum bank of the Instituto Adolfo Lutz in Brazil were used. Commercial IFA was considered in this study as the gold standard for diagnosing Q fever. The in-house IFA demonstrated good agreement with the commercial test, showing high sensitivity (91%) and specificity (97%) compared to the gold standard, with a Kappa coefficient of 0.8954. The indirect ELISA test showed lower agreement with the gold standard, showing low sensitivity (67%), although the specificity of the technique was high (97%) and the Kappa coefficient was moderate (0.6631). In-house IFA is an excellent alternative for diagnosing Q fever.

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The diarrhea in calves, caused by Salmonella spp., provocates serious economic damage to cattle farming. This study aimed was to verify the occurrence of diarrhea and the isolation of strains of Salmonella spp. in diarrheal feces of calves from farms located in the Sertão from the state of Alagoas municipalities, and to characterize the in vitro resistance profile of Salmonella spp. isolated against conventional antimicrobials. The study was carried out with 431 calves from 10 to 90 days old. Of the total number of animals evaluated, 111 presented a diarrhea table, being analysed 111 samples of diarrhoeal faeces. The samples were sown in enrichment broths and selective culture media and the phenotypic and molecular characterization were performed. Among the animals evaluated, 25.75% (111/431) had diarrhea. The presence of Salmonella spp. was evidenced in 13.33% (2/15) of the studied establishments. Have been isolated 2.71% (3/111) strains of Salmonella spp. and have all been shown to be resistant to Cefotaxime and sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Amoxicillin, Ampicillin and Norfloxacin. Salmonella spp. and other infectious agents associated with diarrhea were confirmed in calves in the Sertão Alagoas mesoregion. The antimicrobial potential of the tested drugs reinforces the importance of their responsible and judicious use in the treatment of Salmonellosis, not being indicated the antibiotic therapy with Cefotaxima. The treatment based on Gentamicin, Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin and Norfloxacin in the treatment of these animals, is recommended.