title: [Q Fever in pregnancy: a case report and review of the literature].
abstract: Endemic occurrence of Q fever among persons in close contact with domestic animals is well known in some rural regions of Germany. The prevalence of antibodies indicating acute Q fever in pregnancy reported in the literature varies between 0.2 % and 4.7 % of the screened population. Q fever in pregnancy initially manifests as placentitis and often leads to premature birth (30 %), growth restriction (46 %), spontaneous abortion (22 %) or fetal death in utero (7 %). Some impairment of pregnancy is observed in over 70 % of cases with seroconversion during pregnancy. Thus Q fever serology should be tested in all pregnant women presenting with atypical pneumonia and/or prolonged fever of unknown etiology. It is of interest that medical staff members in contact with Cociella burnetii infected pregnant women are also at risk of acquiring an acute Q fever infection. We report about a patient presenting with confirmed acute and later chronic Q fever during pregnancy in whom antibiotic treatment with rifampicin and clarithromycin proved to be effective and led to the vaginal delivery of a premature but healthy infant. We believe that maternal serum screening for transmissible infections should also include Q fever serology in certain rural regions.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Geburtshilfe und Perinatalmedizin.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hellmeyer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schmitz-Ziegler
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Slenczka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017291:Clarithromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000276:immunology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000209:etiology; D010920:Placenta / Q000382:microbiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D011778:Q Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000635:transmission; D012293:Rifampin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D017291:Clarithromycin; D012293:Rifampin