High endemicity of Q fever in French Guiana: A cross sectional study (2007–2017)

Pauline Thill (1, 2) , Carole Eldin (3, 4) , Laureen Dahuron (1) , Alain Berlioz-Artaud (5) , Magalie Demar (1, 6) , Mathieu Nacher (7) , Emmanuel Beillard (5) , Félix Djossou (1, 6) , Loïc Epelboin (1, 6, 7)

1 Centre Hospitalier Andrée Rosemon [Cayenne, Guyane Française]
2 Centre Hospitalier Gustave Dron [Tourcoing]
3 VITROME - Vecteurs - Infections tropicales et méditerranéennes
4 IHU Marseille - Institut Hospitalier Universitaire Méditerranée Infection
5 Institut Pasteur de la Guyane
6 TBIP - Biome Tropical et Immuno-Pathophysiologie = Tropical Biome and ImmunoPhysiopathology [Lille]
7 CIC - Antilles Guyane - Centre d'Investigation Clinique Antilles-Guyane

Q fever (QF) is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii (Cb). French Guiana (FG) had a high incidence but no data have been published since 2006. The objective of this study was to update the incidence and epidemiological data on QF in FG. A retrospective study of all FG Q fever serodiagnosis between 2007 and 2017 was carried out. Among the 695 patients included, the M/F sex-ratio was 2.0 and the median age of 45.3 years (IQR 33.7–56.3). The annual QF incidence rate was 27.4 cases (95%CI: 7.1–47.7) per 100,000 inhabitants ranging from 5.2 in 2007 to 40.4 in 2010. Risk factors associated with Q fever compared to general population were male gender, being born in mainland France, an age between 30 to 59 years-old and a residence in Cayenne and surroundings. The incidence of QF in FG remains high and stable and the highest in the world.

Mots clés: Q fever; Epidemiology; Coxiella burnetii; France; Serodiagnosis; Medical risk factors; Government laboratories; Pneumonia

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Pauline Thill, Carole Eldin, Laureen Dahuron, Alain Berlioz-Artaud, Magalie Demar, et al.. High endemicity of Q fever in French Guiana: A cross sectional study (2007–2017). PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2022, 16 (5), pp.e0010349. ⟨10.1371/journal.pntd.0010349⟩. ⟨hal-04045103⟩