title: Coxiella burnetii Infection With Severe Hyperferritinemia in an Asplenic Patient.
abstract: Q fever is an uncommon but likely underreported zoonotic infection. Severe hyperferritinemia has been associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and other infectious diseases. In this study, we report a case of Coxiella burnetii infection in an asplenic patient complicated by severe hyperferritinemia and bone marrow infiltration. In this case, the marked ferritin elevation may have been an indicator of profound systemic macrophage activation due to preferential intracellular infection of this cell type by C burnetii, perhaps exacerbated by altered mononuclear phagocyte system function in the setting of asplenia.
authors.affiliation: Intermountain Medical Center , Transitional Residency Program.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paine
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine , University of Utah.
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miya
authors.affiliation: Intermountain Healthcare, Division of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, Salt Lake City, Utah.
authors.forename: Brandon J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Webb
keywords: Coxiella burnetii; Q fever; hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis; hyperferritinemia; macrophage activation