Q fever and HIV infection.
OBJECTIVE
To study the frequency of Q fever in HIV-infected individuals.


METHODS
A seroprevalence study.


METHODS
French National Reference Centre for Rickettsial Agents, Marseille, France.


METHODS
Five out of the 68 hospitalized cases of Q fever diagnosed in 1987-1989 were also HIV-infected and are described here. Sera from a blood-donor bank (n = 925) and from HIV-positive individuals selected at random, irrespective of clinical or immunological status (n = 500) were tested for Q fever.


RESULTS
Comparisons of the two groups showed a statistically significant difference (2.4 versus 0.8%; Fisher's exact test) at the diagnostic dilution 1:200 and at the dilution considered positive for seroprevalence study (1:1000).


CONCLUSIONS
Using the estimated incidence of HIV infection in Marseille, the number of Q fever cases in 1987-1989 was 13 times higher and the clinical expression more frequently symptomatic in the HIV-positive population than in the general one. The prevalence:seroprevalence ratio for Q fever was 1.37% in the HIV-positive group and 0.36% in the blood-donor group. Sera positive for Q fever were confirmed by Western blot analysis in order to minimize cross-reaction. Transmission of Q fever appears to be more frequent in HIV-positive individuals than in the general population; this is not surprising, since Coxiella burnetii lives in the phagolysosome, like other micro-organisms described in immunocompromised hosts. Q fever should be added to the spectrum of diseases that occur more frequently during HIV infection.
Raoult
D
D
Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France.
Levy
P Y
PY
Dupont
H T
HT
Chicheportiche
C
C
Tamalet
C
C
Gastaut
J A
JA
Salducci
J
J
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000276:immunology; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011778:Q Fever / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012698:Serologic Tests
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial