Endocardite por Coxiella burnetii (febre Q): doença rara ou pouco diagnosticada? Relato de caso

Abstract

Q fever is a zoonosis of worldwide distribution that is caused by Coxiella burnetii. However, reports of this disease in Brazil are rare. Seroepidemiological studies have shown relatively high frequencies of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii in populations with occupational exposure. In humans, it can be manifested clinically as acute or chronic disease. Endocarditis is the most frequent chronic form of Q fever and the form with the greatest morbidity and mortality. We report a severe case of endocarditis due to Coxiella burnetii acquired in Brazil that had a fatal outcome, despite specific antibiotic therapy and valve surgery treatment.

New Genotypes of Coxiella burnetii Circulating in Brazil and Argentina

“…The presence of novel MST and MLVA genotypes of C. burnetii in Brazil and Argentina raises the question of the importance of different lineages of C. burnetii in animal and human cases of Q fever, with a necessity of virulence studies to elucidate this question. The report of abortion in goats due to C. burnetii [22] and Q fever in humans in Brazil and Argentina [23][24][25][26] indicates the presence of virulent strains circulating in those countries. This is the first genotype study of Coxiella strains from Brazil and Argentina using MST and MLVA, molecular tools commonly used for this pathogen.…”

Investigação sorológica de Rickettsia rickettsii e Coxiella burnetii em caprinos e ovinos no entorno do Parque Nacional da Serra das Confusões, Piauí

“…No Brasil a doença é considerada emergente, e apesar de sua grande importância, seja econômica ou como zoonose, é ainda pouco diagnosticada (Siciliano et al 2008). Várias espécies animais constituem reservatórios naturais do agente, podendo incluir animais domésticos, silvestres e diferentes espé-cies de carrapatos.…”

Molecular identification of the agent of Q fever – Coxiella burnetii – in domestic animals in State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…Since the 1990s, several outbreaks of Q fever have been described worldwide, especially in Europe, where more than 3,500 reported cases occurred in the Netherlands 3 . In Brazil, although serological tests have been available for Q fever for more than fi ve decades, the human disease is not a nationally notifi able disease and its occurrence and geographic distribution in the Brazilian territory are completely unknown, with limited information in the Southeast region [4][5][6] . This paper reports an investigation into the source of C. burnetii infections in a rural area in the Itaboraí municipality, State of Rio de Janeiro, where the fi rst human case of Q fever in Brazil was confi rmed by molecular analysis.…”