Q fever - An emerging infectious disease in Taiwan

Q fever is a zoonotic infection caused by Coxiella burnetii. Major clinical manifestations of acute Q fever include febrile illness, pneumonia, and hepatitis. Chronic Q fever usually manifests as infective endocarditis, and develops in immunocompromised hosts. In Taiwan, reported cases of Q fever usually present with acute hepatitis or abnormal liver functions, and physicians should make the differential diagnosis with endemic scrub typhus and murine typhus. Clinical diagnosis of Q fever relies on serological examinations. Effective antibiotics for Q fever include doxycycline, fluoroquinolones, co-trimoxazole and newer macrolides. Co-trimoxazole and macrolides are drugs of choice for pregnant women and children.