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Q fever in children.

Helen C Maltezou¹, Didier Raoult

¹Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France.

The Lancet. Infectious Diseases

|November 1, 2002

Summary

Q fever, a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, rarely affects children but can present with mild symptoms or severe illness. Further research is needed to understand childhood Q fever morbidity.

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Area of Science:

Zoonotic Diseases
Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Microbiology

Background:

Q fever is a zoonotic illness caused by Coxiella burnetii, with farm animals and pets as primary reservoirs.
Transmission to humans typically occurs via inhalation of contaminated aerosols.
The disease presents a broad clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic infection to fatal outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and summarize the existing literature on Q fever in children.
To highlight the underreporting and clinical presentation of pediatric Q fever cases.

Main Methods:

A comprehensive review of published studies on pediatric Q fever.
Identification and analysis of reported pediatric cases based on standard diagnostic criteria.

Main Results:

Children are frequently exposed to Coxiella burnetii, but symptomatic illness is less common than in adults.
46 pediatric cases were identified, with self-limited febrile illness and pneumonia being the most frequent acute manifestations.
Chronic Q fever in children can manifest as endocarditis and osteomyelitis.

Conclusions:

Pediatric Q fever, though rarely reported, warrants consideration in children with compatible infectious syndromes and a history of potential exposure.
Further studies are essential to fully elucidate the spectrum of Q fever-related morbidity in childhood.

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