From autoimmune hepatitis to Q fever

Abstract

Q fever is an infectious disease caused by Coxiella burnetii. Its clinical presentation is often nonspecific and the serological diagnosis difficult to make, especially in the absence of specific and suspected medical history. This article presents a case of fever of unknown origin (FUO), interpreted as an autoimmune hepatitis, later proven by the liver biopsy to be a granulomatous hepatitis caused by C. burnetii. The approach to FUO, the features of granulomatous hepatitis and Q fever are presented and discussed.

Keywords

• Fever of unknown origin
• granulomatous hepatitis
• Q fever.