Acute Q fever in hospitalised patients in Central Tunisia: report of 21 cases

F. Bellazreg, N. Kaabia, W. Hachfi, M. Khalifa, E. Ben Jazia, N. Ghanouchi, A. Brahem, F. Bahri andA. LetaiefInfectious Diseases Unit, Farhat Hached Hospital, Sousse, TunisiaINTRODUCTIONQ fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii, which is anobligate intracellular bacterium. In Tunisia,although the prevalence of Q fever among blooddonors is high (26%) [1], this disease is rarelydiagnosed. The aim of this study was to describeepidemiological and clinical features of acute Qfever in adults in central Tunisia.PATIENTS AND METHODS