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Acute Q fever lobar pneumonia: a case report

Maria Tsironi1, Panagiotis Andriopoulos, Spiros Fokas

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Sparta General Hospital, 23100 Sparta, Greece. gpoyl@otenet.gr

The Journal of Infection
|October 19, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Q fever, a zoonotic disease, rarely presents as lobar pneumonia. This case highlights acute Q fever with lobar pneumonia and multi-organ involvement, expanding clinical understanding.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Bacteriology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Q fever is a zoonotic illness caused by Coxiella burnetii, an intracellular bacterium.
  • Common presentations include acute febrile illness, hepatitis, and atypical pneumonia.
  • Lobar pneumonia is an uncommon manifestation of acute Q fever.

Observation:

  • This report details a rare case of acute Q fever.
  • The patient presented with lobar pneumonia, a seldom-reported manifestation.
  • The illness involved multiple organ systems.

Findings:

  • The case confirms Coxiella burnetii can cause acute Q fever presenting as lobar pneumonia.
  • Multi-organ involvement was a significant feature of this rare presentation.
  • This underscores the diverse clinical spectrum of Q fever.

Implications:

  • Clinicians should consider Q fever in cases of lobar pneumonia, especially with multi-organ involvement.
  • Enhanced diagnostic awareness may improve early detection and treatment of rare Q fever presentations.
  • Further research into atypical Q fever manifestations is warranted.

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