Q Fever Presented as a Large Retroperitoneal Pseudotumoral Mass

Q fever is an infection caused by Coxiella burnetii, an intracellular organism. Acute infection is most often a benign and asymptomatic process; however, some individuals may go on to develop subacute and persistent localized symptomatic Q fever. As such, the clinical and histopathologic findings of Q fever are widely variable and may be missed if clinical suspicion is not high.

Herein we report the first case of C. burnetii infection presenting as an isolated retroperitoneal mass. A 61-year-old male underwent axillary-bifemoral bypass surgery. His postoperative course was complicated by the discovery of a large retroperitoneal mass.

Clinical and histopathologic findings of Coxiella burnetii infection are variable and can be deceiving. These are often nonspecific, especially in its persistent localized infectious stages.