Serological Diagnosis and Seroepidemiological Study of Q Fever.

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1. The growth of Q fever agent (Coxiella burnetii) in vivo and in vitro : Treatment of mice with cyclophosphamide facilitated the growth of Coxiella burnetii so effectively that isolation of the organism became easier. The growth of this rickettsia in cultured cells differed markedly according to the type of cells and the species of animals from which the cells derived.2. Preparation of antigens for serological diagnosis of Q fever : Coxiella burnetii, strain TK-1, in phase I propagated well in yolk sacs of embryonated chicken eggs, and we could obtain enough antigen for serological tests. Phase II antigen of Coxiella burnetii was tried to make by serial passage in yolk sac, and we attained to the 20th passage. On the other hand, trichloroacetic acid-treated phase I antigen reacted strongly with anti-phase II antibody. Therefore this chemically modified antigen must be useful for serological diagnosis.3. Serological diagnosis of Q fever : Immunofluorescence technique was adequate for laboratory examination of Q fever from the viewpoints of rapidity, sensitivity and practicality. Western immunoblotting method was also adequate to check the specificity of the antibody against Coxiella burnetii in reference to 60 kilodalton common antigen.4. Seroepidemiological study of Q fever : Serological examination of bovine and human sera for antibodies against Coxiella burnetii was carried out by the immunofluorescence technique. About 30% of the cows examined were antibody-positive. Sera from two veterinarians also had antibody against C. burnetii. These results suggest that the Q fever agent has spread widely in Japan. Therefore Q fever must be added to the list of differential diagnosis of unknown fever.