title: Pediatric acute Q fever mimics other common childhood illnesses.
abstract: Knowledge of Q fever has increased over the last decades, but research has mainly focused on adults. Data in children are scarce, and current knowledge is mostly based on case reports. The aim of this study was to determine predictors for acute Q fever in children in the general population. We retrospectively studied all children tested for Coxiella burnetii by serology and/or PCR upon request of their general practitioner in the regional laboratory for Medical Microbiology of the Jeroen Bosch during the Q fever outbreak in the Netherlands between 2007 and 2011. A total of 1061 patients was analyzed. Influenza-like illness and respiratory tract infection were the most common presentations of acute Q fever, mimicking other common childhood illnesses. None of the reported symptoms was significantly related to a positive test outcome and therefore presenting signs or symptoms have no predictive value in diagnosing Q-fever in children. Only diagnostic tests are reliable. As the infection generally follows a mild and uncomplicated course, we question if the difficulty of recognizing pediatric Q fever is a problem worth solving.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Jeroen Bosch Hospital's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
authors: Ingeborg Y
authors: IY
authors: Bart
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Jeroen Bosch Hospital's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
authors: Yvonne
authors: Y
authors: Schabos
authors: Department of Linguistics, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors: Roeland W N M
authors: RW
authors: van Hout
authors: Department of Medical Microbiology, Jeroen Bosch Hospital's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
authors: Alexander C A P
authors: AC
authors: Leenders
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Jeroen Bosch Hospital's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.
authors: Esther
authors: E
authors: de Vries
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011778:Q Fever / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires