Seroprevalence of antibodies to Coxiella burnetti among pregnant women in South Eastern France.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the seroprevalence of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii among pregnant women and to assess the effect of Q fever on pregnancy outcome.


METHODS
Anonymous seroprevalence survey between March and May 1996 in all gynecological and obstetrical medical departments of South Eastern France. Women were included irrespective of pregnancy outcome (N=12,716, response rate=96.1%).


RESULTS
The seroprevalence rate was 0.15% with a global prevalence and a prevalence of recent or chronic infections, respectively, two and three times higher among women who had a spontaneous abortion than among those who delivered although the differences were not statistically significant. The highest proportion of preterm births (6.8%) was found in high prevalence areas (0.57%).


CONCLUSIONS
The seroprevalence was higher than expected but data were not sufficient to confirm the suspected negative impact of Q fever on pregnancy outcome.
Rey
D
D
Regional Center for Disease Control of South-Eastern France (ORS PACA), 23 rue Stanislas, Torrents, 13006 Marseille, France. rey@marseille.inserm.fr
Obadia
Y
Y
Tissot-Dupont
H
H
Raoult
D
D
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000209:etiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001724:Birth Weight; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000276:immunology*; D011778:Q Fever / Q000150:complications; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial