Emerging Infectious Diseases (May 2020)

Capybara and Brush Cutter Involvement in Q Fever Outbreak in Remote Area of Amazon Rain Forest, French Guiana, 2014

  • Jacques-Robert Christen,
  • Sophie Edouard,
  • Thierry Lamour,
  • Enguerrane Martinez,
  • Claire Rousseau,
  • Franck de Laval,
  • François Catzeflis,
  • Félix Djossou,
  • Didier Raoult,
  • Vincent Pommier de Santi,
  • Loïc Epelboin

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2605.190242
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 26, no. 5
pp. 993 – 997

Abstract

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We investigated a Q fever outbreak that occurred in an isolated area of the Amazon Rain Forest in French Guiana in 2014. Capybara fecal samples were positive for Coxiella burnetii DNA. Being near brush cutters in use was associated with disease development. Capybaras are a putative reservoir for C. burnetii.

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