Epidemiological characteristics of Q fever in Vojvodina province, Serbia, 1985-2009

Abstract

Due to the atypical symptoms and signs of Q fever, the high incidence of mild infections and the fact that in our region the appearance of this anthropozoonosis is linked to the lambing season (the end of winter and beginning of spring), when the greatest frequency of respiratory infections is manifested, Q fever is not recognized very often. The possible lethal complications, the fact that Coxiella burnetii can survive for years in the environment and be transferred by airstream in great breathing spaces, the small infectious dose necessary to cause the disease and speculation as to its possible use in bioterrorism, make it a significant public health problem. The aim of our study was to give some data on Q fever in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, an area with a high degree of agricultural activity.

Keywords

• Q fever
• epidemiology
• Vojvodina
• Serbia