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A Pedagogical Farm as a Source of Q Fever in a French City

  • Infectious Diseases
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Abstract

Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii and presents as both acute or chronic cases. The disease can be transmitted from animal reservoirs to humans by inhalation of infected aerosols. A previous study had revealed a hyperendemic focus in South France. A case-control study was carried-out in this area from 1996 to 1999. Besides the role of wind, this study stressed out the exposure to a pedagogical farm as an independent risk factor (4.7% of cases – 0 controls): Exposure to sheep and new-born animals (OR: 3.07 and 4.01 respectively) were not significant after omission of people exposed to the pedagogical farm. Such farms are visited by people who would not have any other contact with farm animals. These farms require a drastic hygiene and control. Q fever, as a public health problem, still requires further studies to identify and confirm individual behavioral risk factors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculté de Médecine, Unité des Rickettsies, CNRS UMR 6020, Marseille, France

    Hervé Tissot-Dupont & Didier Raoult

  2. Centre Hospitalier Général, Martigues, France

    Marie-Antoinette Amadei & Meyer Nezri

Authors
  1. Hervé Tissot-Dupont
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  2. Marie-Antoinette Amadei
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  3. Meyer Nezri
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  4. Didier Raoult
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Correspondence to Didier Raoult.

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Tissot-Dupont, H., Amadei, MA., Nezri, M. et al. A Pedagogical Farm as a Source of Q Fever in a French City. Eur J Epidemiol 20, 957–961 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-005-2336-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-005-2336-5

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