title: Coxiella burnetii: an unusual ENT pathogen.
abstract: Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is a prevalent zoonotic disease manifestating usually as atypical pneumonia or hepatitis. We describe 2 cases of serologically proven infection by Coxiella burnetii whose primary manifestations arose from the upper respiratory tract and were initially referred to the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) department. This is the first related report in medical literature. A 20-year-old woman with fever, bilateral tonsillitis, lymphadenopathy, and mild aminotransferase elevation, and a 30-year old man with spiking fever and laryngitis are presented. Diagnosis in both cases was achieved through evolving serological response to Coxiella burnetii. The importance of including the pathogen in the differential diagnosis of ENT patients, in assorted epidemiological settings, and the significance of the proper antibiotic selection are further discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Ioannina, Greece. gpele@otenet.gr
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pappas
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giannoutsos
authors.forename: Leonidas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Christou
authors.forename: Epaminondas
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tsianos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D007827:Laryngitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D011778:Q Fever / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D014069:Tonsillitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D000637:Transaminases