Study on Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Coxiella Burnetii (Q Fever) in the South of Reunion Island

Emergent and infectious diseases are a public health priority on Reunion Island. Amongst public health threats, the infection due to Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) seems to have appeared on Reunion island in 2007 with two hospitalised confirmed cases (one death) and one probable case with a goat farmer.

According to the investigator, the diffusion of C. burnetti is more ancient and such diagnosis have been made in the last 30 years with 80 positive serologies identified between 2005 and 2011.

Considering the high epidemic power of this disease, its often silent clinical expression and its life-threatening condition, the principal investigator wishes to perform a sero-epidemiological study in order to establish or to reject the risk of emergence of Q fever in Reunion island.

The study will be performed on pregnant women because Q fever is responsible for particular complications during pregnancy and because the number of pregnancy followed on Reunion island is stable from one year to the other. The pregnant women population presenting the same exposure criteria as the general population, this population will be used to extrapolate to the general population of the island.