Microbiological and immunological determinants of prolonged illness following Q fever.

Q 热后长期患病的微生物学和免疫学决定因素。

• 批准号: nhmrc : 157092
• 负责人: Dr Ray Harris
• 金额: $ 24.14万
• 依托单位国家: 澳大利亚
• 项目类别: NHMRC Project Grants
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 澳大利亚
• 起止时间: 2001-01-01 至 2003-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://researchdata.edu.au/microbiological-immunological-determinants-q-fever/101144
• 关键词: Microbiological; immunological; determinants; prolonged; illness

Q fever is a severe, sometimes life-threatening infection acquired by individuals who work with livestock, particularly abattoir workers. At least 10% of individuals who develop Q fever experience prolonged ill-health in the form of weeks or months of debilitating fatigue, profuse night sweats, headaches, as well as muscle and joint pains. This poorly understood persistent illness is associated with substantial disability and loss of income. This research is based upon an established cohort study in which subjects with acute, documented Q fever are recruited shortly after the onset of symptoms and followed at regular intervals through to recovery or persistent symptoms. The aim of this research is to determine whether abnormal persistence of the causative organsim of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii, underlies the continued symptoms in those who do not recover promptly from the acute illness. Furthermore, the research is examining the host defense response against the organism via the production of cytokines or immunological hormones, to determine whether these proteins mediate the ongoing symptoms. If confirmed, these hypotheses would lead the way to diagnostic markers for the disorder and a rational treatment strategy.

Q热是一种严重的，有时危及生命的感染，由与牲畜一起工作的人，特别是屠宰场工人获得。至少有10%的Q热患者会经历数周或数月的虚弱疲劳、大量盗汗、头痛以及肌肉和关节疼痛。这种难以理解的持续性疾病与严重残疾和收入损失有关。这项研究是基于一项已建立的队列研究，在该研究中，急性、有记录的Q热受试者在症状发作后不久被招募，并定期随访至症状恢复或持续。本研究的目的是确定Q热的病原体贝氏柯克斯体的异常持续存在是否是急性疾病不能迅速恢复的患者持续症状的基础。此外，该研究正在通过细胞因子或免疫激素的产生来检查宿主对生物体的防御反应，以确定这些蛋白质是否介导了持续的症状。如果得到证实，这些假设将导致疾病的诊断标志物和合理的治疗策略。