Short Communication: Prevalence of Antibodies Against Coxiella Burnetii (Q Fever) in Children in The Gambia, West Africa

Overview

Journal Trop Med Int Health

Specialties Public Health
Tropical Medicine

Date 2013 Apr 23

PMID 23600611

Citations 12

Authors

Wim van der Hoek

Ramu Sarge-Njie

Tineke Herremans

Thomas Chisnall

Joseph Okebe

Eniyou Oriero

Bart Versteeg

Bart Goossens

Marianne van der Sande

Beate Kampmann

Davis Nwakanma

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) among children in eight villages in The Gambia, West Africa.

Methods: Sera of 796 children aged 1-15 years were tested for presence of antibodies against phase II of C. burnetii by ELISA.

Results: IgG and/or IgM phase II antibodies against C. burnetii were detectable in 8.3% (66/796) of all serum samples analysed with significant differences in seroprevalence between villages. Highest prevalence was found in the age group 1-4 years.

Conclusions: Exposure to C. burnetii is considerable in the early years of life in The Gambia, and further studies are warranted to estimate the role of Q fever in acute febrile illness in The Gambia and elsewhere in Africa.

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