Microbiological and immunological determinants of prolonged illness following Q fever.

Q热是一种严重的，有时危及生命的感染，由与牲畜打交道的个人，特别是屠宰场工人获得。至少10%的Q热患者会经历持续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。这种鲜为人知的持续性疾病与严重的残疾和收入损失有关。本研究基于一项已建立的队列研究，在该研究中，在症状出现后不久招募有急性Q热记录的受试者，并定期随访至恢复或持续症状。本研究的目的是确定Q热的致病生物体，伯纳氏克希菌的异常持续性，是否导致那些不能从急性疾病中迅速恢复的人持续出现症状。此外，该研究正在通过产生细胞因子或免疫激素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持续的症状。如果得到证实，这些假设将为这种疾病的诊断标记和合理的治疗策略开辟道路。

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.