Coxiella burnetii infection of aortic aneurysms or vascular grafts: report of 30 new cases and evaluation of outcome

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii. Polymorphic, the disease may present as an acute or chronic infection. Vascular infections are the second most common form of chronic Q fever, following endocarditis. Herein, we studied the outcome of 30 new cases of aortic infection caused by C. burnetii using uni- and multivariate analyses. The outcome of ten cases previously reported by our team was also updated. Of these 40 patients, 32 had a follow-up of ≥3 years. Among them, the overall mortality was of 25% (8/32). Vascular rupture was significantly and independently (multivariate P=0.03) associated with a lethal issue, whereas vascular surgery was significantly associated with recovery (uni- and multivariate P<0.01). Our findings demonstrate the critical importance of surgery in the management of C. burnetii vascular infections.