Brote de fiebre Q en trabajadores de frigorífico de la provincia de Osorno durante pandemia COVID-19: experiencia clínica y revisión de la literatura

Abstract

Q fever is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, which can manifest in various ways, primarily as pneumonia, and can also cause chronic symptoms such as infectious endocarditis.  People at highest risk of contracting this disease are agricultural workers who handle livestock, especially sheep, although the largest known outbreak in Chile affected cattle. In this patient group, clinical suspicion is crucial to initiating effective antibiotic therapy, as diagnosis is complex and frequently determined retrospectively. Doxycycline is the first-line antimicrobial treatment; however, cotrimoxazole may be used in pregnant women and children, while intravenous levofloxacin is reserved for severe cases. In this article, we describe a clinical experience with a group of patients diagnosed with probable acute Q fever pneumonia in the province of Osorno (Chile) and provide a brief review of the literature.