Nationwide registry-based ecological analysis of Q fever incidence and pregnancy outcome during an outbreak in the Netherlands

Objective: Whether areas affected by Q fever during a large outbreak (2008-2010) had higher rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes than areas not affected by Q fever. Design: Nationwide registry-based ecological study. Setting: Pregnant women in areas affected and not affected by Q fever in the Netherlands, 2003-2004 and 2008-2010. Participants: Index group (N=58 737): pregnant women in 307 areas with more than two Q fever notifications. Reference group (N=310 635): pregnant women in 921 areas without Q fever notifications. As a baseline, pregnant women in index and reference areas in the years 2... Mehr ...