Outbreak of Q-fever in Dortmund in the summer of 1999 - Results of an epidemiological outbreak study

In the summer of 1999, the health department of the City of Dortmund regist ered an increased incidence rate of reported Q-fever-diseases. Q-fever is a zoonosis caused by the Coxiella burnetii bacterium which typically multipl ies within cells, To investigate the cause of this outbreak, an investigati on was initiated. Clinical and veterinary examinations, investigations of t he environment and an epidemiological case-control-study were combined, Pat ients as well as healthy persons interviewed for comparative purposes were asked to complete a questionnaire on their habits of life and the answers c ompared, The results of this study show a clear connection between an expos ition with sheep, dung (OR = 14.9; 95%CI: 4.9-47) and manure (OR = 18.7; 95 % CI: 3.5 - 180) of infected sheep and the Q-fever outbreak, The study conf irmed the assumption that a local sheep farm was the source of infection fo r the epidemic outbreak of Q-fever in the same quarter of Dortmund.