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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2003, p. 5094-5098, Vol. 41, No. 11
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.11.5094-5098.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Comparison of PCR and Serology Assays for Early Diagnosis of Acute Q Fever

Pierre-Edouard Fournier and Didier Raoult*

IFR 48 CNRS UMR 6020, Unité des rickettsies, Faculté de médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 13385 Marseille cedex 5, France

Received 28 May 2003/ Returned for modification 6 July 2003/ Accepted 22 August 2003

Q fever is a potentially severe disease which can occur in large outbreaks of acute infections and is a possible bioterrorism agent. In order to lessen the delay in diagnosing acute Q fever, we compared LightCycler Nested PCR (LCN-PCR), a rapid nested PCR assay that uses serum sampled early during the disease as a specimen and the LightCycler as a thermal cycler, to serology by indirect immunofluorescence. We used the 20-copy htpAB-associated element as the DNA target. The detection sensitivity of this method was one Coxiella burnetii DNA copy. We applied this method to the first serum samples taken from 100 patients diagnosed in our laboratory as having acute Q fever on the basis of clinical manifestations and serology and to 80 controls. The LCN-PCR had a specificity of 100%. The sensitivity was 26% when no antibodies were detected but only 5% with seropositive patients (P < 10-2). The technique was most efficient in the first 2 weeks following the onset of symptoms (P = 0.02), when its sensitivity was 24% compared with 14% for serology. With combined use of LCN-PCR and serology within the first 2 weeks, the sensitivity was significantly increased over that with serology alone (P < 10-2). Thus, we propose a strategy for improving the early diagnosis of acute Q fever where LCN-PCR should be performed together with serology in the first 2 weeks of the disease but should be reserved for seronegative patients in the next 2 weeks and not used later than 4 weeks following onset, when serology is highly sensitive.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: IFR 48 CNRS UMR 6020, Unité des rickettsies, Faculté de médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille cedex 5, France. Phone: (33) 491 38 55 17. Fax: (33) 491 83 03 90. E-mail: didier.raoult{at}medecine.univ-mrs.fr.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2003, p. 5094-5098, Vol. 41, No. 11
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.11.5094-5098.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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