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Table of Contents - April 2016 - Volume 144, Issue 06
The health status of a village population, 7 years after a major Q fever outbreak
G. MORROYa1a2 c1, W. VAN DER HOEKa3, Z. D. NANVERa1, P. M. SCHNEEBERGERa4, C. P. BLEEKER-ROVERSa5, J. VAN DER VELDENa2 and R. A. COUTINHOa6
a1 Department of Infectious Disease Control, Municipal Health Service Hart voor Brabant, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
a2 Academic Collaborative Centre AMPHI, Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
a3 Department for Respiratory Infections, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
a4 Department of Medical Microbiology, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, The Netherlands
a5 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Radboud Expertise Center for Q fever, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
a6 Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
SUMMARY
From 2007 to 2010, The Netherlands experienced a major Q fever outbreak with more than 4000 notifications. Previous studies suggested that Q fever patients could suffer long-term post-infection health impairments, especially fatigue.
Our objective was to assess the Coxiella burnetii antibody prevalence and health status including fatigue, and assess their interrelationship in Herpen, a high-incidence village, 7 years after the outbreak began.
In 2014, we invited all 2161 adult inhabitants for a questionnaire and a C. burnetii indirect fluorescence antibody assay (IFA). The health status was measured with the Nijmegen Clinical Screening Instrument (NCSI), consisting of eight subdomains including fatigue.
Of the 70?1% (1517/2161) participants, 33?8% (513/1517) were IFA positive. Of 147 participants who were IFA positive in 2007, 25 (17%) seroreverted and were now IFA negative. Not positive IFA status, but age <50 years, smoking and co-morbidity, were independent risk factors for fatigue. Notified participants reported significantly more often fatigue (31/49, 63%) than non-notified IFA-positive participants (150/451, 33%).
Although fatigue is a common sequel after acute Q fever, in this community-based survey we found no difference in fatigue levels between participants with and without C. burnetii antibodies.
The health status of a village population, 7 years after a major Q fever outbreak
G. MORROYa1a2 c1, W. VAN DER HOEKa3, Z. D. NANVERa1, P. M. SCHNEEBERGERa4, C. P. BLEEKER-ROVERSa5, J. VAN DER VELDENa2 and R. A. COUTINHOa6
a1 Department of Infectious Disease Control, Municipal Health Service Hart voor Brabant, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
a2 Academic Collaborative Centre AMPHI, Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
a3 Department for Respiratory Infections, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
a4 Department of Medical Microbiology, Jeroen Bosch Hospital, The Netherlands
a5 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Radboud Expertise Center for Q fever, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
a6 Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
SUMMARY
From 2007 to 2010, The Netherlands experienced a major Q fever outbreak with more than 4000 notifications. Previous studies suggested that Q fever patients could suffer long-term post-infection health impairments, especially fatigue.
Our objective was to assess the Coxiella burnetii antibody prevalence and health status including fatigue, and assess their interrelationship in Herpen, a high-incidence village, 7 years after the outbreak began.
In 2014, we invited all 2161 adult inhabitants for a questionnaire and a C. burnetii indirect fluorescence antibody assay (IFA). The health status was measured with the Nijmegen Clinical Screening Instrument (NCSI), consisting of eight subdomains including fatigue.
Of the 70?1% (1517/2161) participants, 33?8% (513/1517) were IFA positive. Of 147 participants who were IFA positive in 2007, 25 (17%) seroreverted and were now IFA negative. Not positive IFA status, but age <50 years, smoking and co-morbidity, were independent risk factors for fatigue. Notified participants reported significantly more often fatigue (31/49, 63%) than non-notified IFA-positive participants (150/451, 33%).
Although fatigue is a common sequel after acute Q fever, in this community-based survey we found no difference in fatigue levels between participants with and without C. burnetii antibodies.
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