Sexually transmitted Q fever.
We report the sexual transmission of Coxiella burnetii from a man with occupationally acquired Q fever to his wife. Fifteen days after coitus, his wife also developed serologically proven acute Q fever. C. burnetii DNA sequences were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) performed on semen samples obtained from the husband at 4 and 15 months after the onset of acute Q fever, but PCR results were variable at 23 months, indicating the presence of few organisms.
Milazzo
A
A
Communicable Disease Control Branch, Department of Human Services, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5000.
Hall
R
R
Storm
P A
PA
Harris
R J
RJ
Winslow
W
W
Marmion
B P
BP
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011778:Q Fever / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission*; D012661:Semen / Q000382:microbiology*; D015231:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial