Suburban transmission of Q fever in French Guiana: evidence of a wild reservoir.
The annual incidence of Q fever in French Guiana was found to have increased in 1996 and was 37/100,000 population over the last 4 years. Subsequent investigations in Cayenne and its suburbs indicated that a wild reservoir of the bacteria was responsible for the epidemiologic pattern. A case-control study showed that residence near a forest and occupations and activities that result in exposure to aerosols of dusts from the soil are risk factors for Q fever. By means of time-series analysis, a strong positive correlation between rainfall and the incidence of Q fever with a time lag of 1-3 months was found. The spatial distribution of the cases showed that transmission occurs widely throughout greater Cayenne, which is incompatible with a pinpoint source of contamination. Transmission from livestock and dissemination of the bacteria by the wind appeared to be unlikely, which strengthens the hypothesis that a wild reservoir is responsible for transmission.
Gardon
J
J
Laboratoire d'Epidémiologie, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, 97306 Cayenne cedex, France. jgardon@pasteur-cayenne.fr
Héraud
J M
JM
Laventure
S
S
Ladam
A
A
Capot
P
P
Fouquet
E
E
Favre
J
J
Weber
S
S
Hommel
D
D
Hulin
A
A
Couratte
Y
Y
Talarmin
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000391:Air Microbiology; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001001:Anura; D001717:Birds; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002685:Chiroptera; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004391:Dust; D005260:Female; D005616:French Guiana / Q000453:epidemiology; D005843:Geography; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008394:Marsupialia; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011778:Q Fever / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D012377:Rodentia; D012621:Seasons; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013383:Suburban Population; D014505:Urban Population
D004391:Dust