TY  - JOUR
AU  - Limonard, G.J.
AU  - Nabuurs-Franssen, M.H.
AU  - Weers-Pothoff, G.
AU  - Wijkmans, C.J.
AU  - Besselink, R.
AU  - Horrevorts, A.M.
AU  - Schneeberger, P.M.
AU  - Groot, C.A. de
PY  - 2010
UR  - https://hdl.handle.net/2066/89915
AB  - PURPOSE: In 2007, a large goat-farming-associated Q fever outbreak occurred in the Netherlands. Data on the clinical outcome of Dutch Q fever patients are lacking. The current advocated follow-up strategy includes serological follow-up to detect evolution to chronic disease and cardiac screening at baseline to identify and prophylactically treat Q fever patients in case of valvulopathy. However, serological follow-up using commercially available tests is complicated by the lack of validated cut-off values. Furthermore, cardiac screening in the setting of a large outbreak has not been implemented previously. Therefore, we report here the clinical outcome, serological follow-up and cardiac screening data of the Q fever patients of the current ongoing outbreak. METHODS: The implementation of a protocol including clinical and serological follow-up at baseline and 3, 6 and 12 months after acute Q fever and screening echocardiography at baseline. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients with acute Q fever were identified (male 62%, female 38%). An aspecific, flu-like illness was the most common clinical presentation. Persistent symptoms after acute Q fever were reported by 59% of patients at 6 months and 30% at 12 months follow-up. We observed a typical serological response to Coxiella burnetii infection in both anti-phase I and anti-phase II IgG antibodies, with an increase in antibody titres up to 3 months and a subsequent decrease in the following 9 months. Screening echocardiography was available for 66 (78%) out of 85 Q fever patients. Cardiac valvulopathy was present in 39 (59%) patients. None of the 85 patients developed chronic Q fever. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical, serological and echocardiographic data of the current ongoing Dutch Q fever outbreak cohort are presented. Screening echocardiography is no longer part of the standard work-up of Q fever patients in the Netherlands.
TI  - One-year follow-up of patients of the ongoing Dutch Q fever outbreak: clinical, serological and echocardiographic findings.
EP  - 477
SN  - 0300-8126
IS  - iss. 6
SP  - 471
JF  - Infection
VL  - vol. 38
N1  - 1 december 2010
DO  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-010-0052-x
L1  - https://repository.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/2066/89915/89915.pdf?sequence=1
ER  -