The 2007-2010 Q fever epidemic in the Netherlands: risk factors and risk groups

An analysis of 3,264 notifications for acute Q fever show that the patients were mostly men, smokers and persons aged 40–60 years. Pneumonia was the most common clinical presentation in >60% of patients. Fewer than 5% of the notified patients were working in the agriculture sector or meat-processing industry, including abattoirs. The outbreaks in the Netherlands can therefore not be explained by occupational exposure. To estimate the number of infections, including those that remain asymptomatic, notification rates were compared with seroconversion rates in blood donors from whom serial sam... Mehr ...