Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) Exposure in Humans on Reunion Island

Julien Jaubert (1) , Florence Naze (1) , Guillaume Camuset (1) , Sophie Larrieu (2) , Hervé Pascalis (3) , Vanina Guernier (4) , Nadège Naty (5) , Antoine Bertolotti (1, 5) , Rodolphe Manaquin (1) , Yoan Mboussou (1) , Laura Atiana (1) , Sandrine Picot (1) , Pablo Tortosa (3) , Eric Cardinale (6) , Patrick Gérardin (3, 5)

1 CHU La Réunion - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de La Réunion
2 Santé publique France - French National Public Health Agency [Saint-Maurice, France]
3 PIMIT - Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical
4 Geelong Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases
5 CIC 1410 - Centre d'Investigation Clinique de La Réunion - INSERM
6 UMR ASTRE - Animal, Santé, Territoires, Risques et Ecosystèmes

After the documentation of sporadic cases of Q fever endocarditis, we conducted a serosurvey to assess Coxiella burnetii exposure on Reunion Island. Two hundred forty-one stored frozen human sera were analyzed using an immunofluorescence assay. The weighted seroprevalence of Q fever was of 6.81% (95% confidence interval, 4.02%–9.59%). Despite the absence of infection in youths <20 years of age, exposure was not driven by age or by gender. There was a spatial disparity in exposure across the island, with higher prevalence being reported in regions where ruminant farms are present. The seroprevalence pattern suggests that Q fever is endemic on Reunion Island.

Mots clés: immunofluorescence; general popula- tion; general population; stored frozen serum; prevalence; seroepidemiologic study; serology; Q fever; Coxiella burnetii; serosurvey; zoonosis

Domaines: Santé publique et épidémiologie; Bactériologie; Maladies émergentes; Maladies infectieuses

Julien Jaubert, Florence Naze, Guillaume Camuset, Sophie Larrieu, Hervé Pascalis, et al.. Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) Exposure in Humans on Reunion Island. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2019, 6 (7), 4p. ⟨10.1093/ofid/ofz227⟩. ⟨hal-02173188⟩