Difficult management of pediatric acute Q fever

• Autor(a) principal: Figueiredo, Rafael Costa
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Monteiro, Diana R., Rebelo, Ana Isabel, Azevedo, Ana, de Oliveira, Sara Freitas, Tavares, Susana
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://revistas.rcaap.pt/nascercrescer/article/view/17089
• topic: Case Reports

Introduction: Q fever, a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetti, is relatively rare in the pediatric population. The disease is often asymptomatic or with mild clinical presentation in children. Case report: A four-year-old boy with persistent fever, severe anemia, and positive IgM for Coxiella burnetti was treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and azithromycin, with no improvement. After polymerase chain reaction confirmation, he completed 14 days of doxycycline, with good response. After eleven months, the child remains asymptomatic. Discussion: Despite having a usually mild presentation, the severe clinical progression and lack of response to initial antibiotic therapy in this case prompt the use of doxycycline, a non-consensual drug in younger ages, with good results. New recommendations endorse the use of this drug for short periods at any age.