Q-fever presenting as an autoimmune disease: case report and review

• Authors: Maria Gamaletsou , Achilleas Gikas , Nikolaos Sipsas
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by the intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetti. Autoimmune phenomena associated with the disease may obscure the clinical picture, and in many reports mislead physicians to an initial diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. We present a case of chronic Q-fever, complicated by myocarditis/pericarditis, where patient’s initial signs, symptoms and laboratory findings (i.e., protracted fever, oligoarthritis, erythema nodosum, positive antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, monoclonal gammopathy) seemed to suggest an autoimmune disease. We also review the literature for autoimmune phenomena associated with Q-fever.

Keywords

EN

Q-fever; Autoimmunity; Erythema nodosum; Arthritis; Myocarditis; Pericarditis; ANCA

• Publisher: De Gruyter Open
• Journal: Open Medicine
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 727-731

Dates

published

1 - 12 - 2011

online

8 - 10 - 2011

Contributors

author

Maria Gamaletsou

• Department of Pathophysiology, Laikon General Hospital and Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 11527, Greece

author

Achilleas Gikas

• Laboratory of Clinical Bacteriology, Parasitology, Zoonoses and Geographic Medicine, WHO Collaborating Center for Mediterranean Zoonoses, University of Crete, Heraklion, 71110, Crete, Greece

author

Nikolaos Sipsas

• Department of Pathophysiology, Laikon General Hospital and Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 11527, Greece

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/s11536-011-0097-y