title: Q fever and HIV infection.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Unité des Rickettsies, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raoult
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Dupont
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chicheportiche
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamalet
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gastaut
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salducci
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial