title: Immunoglobulin responses to Coxiella burnetii (Q fever): single-serum diagnosis of acute infection, using an immunofluorescence technique.
abstract: Blood specimens were collected over various periods of time from 30 abattoir workers with a clinical diagnosis of Q fever. All specimens were tested for complement-fixing antibodies and for specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) globulins to phase 1 and 2 Coxiella burnetii organisms by an immunofluorescence technique. All 22 patients with increasing levels of complement-fixing antibodies were shown to have generated specific IgM globulins, as did 4 patients with high convalescent titers but from whom "acute" specimens were not collected. Four individuals who did not show increasing levels of complement-fixing antibodies did not produce measurable levels of specific IgM. All patients with Q fever gave positive specific IgM results by 2 weeks after the onset of symptoms. IgM to phase 1 antigen persisted for 27 weeks in one patient, but IgM to phase 2 antigen was not detectable beyond 17 weeks. The estimation of Q fever-specific IgM has proved useful in confirming infection when only a "convalescent" blood specimen is available.
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D003381:Coxiella / Q000276:immunology*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis*; D011778:Q Fever / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012698:Serologic Tests; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007075:Immunoglobulin M