Screening for Q fever. A tertiary care hospital-based experience in central Saudi Arabia

To evaluate the presence of Coxiella burnetii  (C. brunetii) infection among patients presenting with fever of unknown origin (FUO).

A cross-sectional study of 100 patients (54 men and 46 women; mean age: 34.3 ± 19.2 years) with FUO was conducted at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between March 2015 and June 2016. Phase 1 and phase 2 C. burnetii-specific antibodies in serum samples were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Coxiella burnetii phase 1 and phase 2 antibodies were detected in 16% of the patients. Phase 2 IgM was present in 2% of the patients, whereas phase 2 IgG antibodies were detected in 11%  of the patients. Coxiella burnetii-specific phase 1 IgG was found in 2% of the patients, and 8% of the patients harbored phase 1 IgA antibodies in their serum.

The presence of C. burnetii-specific antibodies in many patients suffering from FUO highlights the importance of Q fever screening among patients presenting with febrile illness.