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，由从事牲畜工作的个人感染，特别是屠宰场工人。至少10%患有Q热的人会经历长时间的健康不佳，表现为数周或数月的衰弱乏力、大量盗汗、头痛以及肌肉和关节疼痛。这种知之甚少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既定的队列研究，在该研究中，有记录的急性Q热受试者在症状出现后不久被招募，并定期跟踪调查，直至康复或持续症状。这项研究的目的是确定Q热的致病器官--伯氏柯克斯体的异常持久性是否是那些未能迅速从急性疾病中康复的人持续症状的基础。此外，这项研究正在通过产生细胞因子或免疫激素来检测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，这些假设将为该病的诊断标记物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.