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. 2022 Jun 10:64:e42.
doi: 10.1590/S1678-9946202264042. eCollection 2022.

High incidence of acute Q fever among incarcerated people in Cayenne, French Guiana

Timothée Bonifay  1 , Emmanuel Beillard  2 , Marie Daniel  1 , Vanessa Schiemsky  1 , Evelyn Vierendeels  1 , Magalie Demar  1 , Agathe Pastre  1 , Karim Hamiche  1 , Mathieu Nacher  1 , Loic Epelboin  1
Affiliations

High incidence of acute Q fever among incarcerated people in Cayenne, French Guiana

Timothée Bonifay et al. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo. .

Abstract

Q fever is a major public health problem in French Guiana. In recent years, a considerable number of cases has been reported in French Guiana's penitentiary center. The main objective of this study was to describe the epidemiology of these cases. A retrospective study was conducted at the prison to identify cases of acute Q fever in people incarcerated between 2010 and 2021. During the study period, 16 patients were diagnosed with acute Q fever. The positivity rate varied between 13 and 57%. The annual incidence rate in 2019, 2020 and 2021 was 269 (95% CI: 0-640) 1,120 (95% CI: 290-1950) and 1,931 (95% CI: 60-3810) per 100,000 person-years, respectively. While several vertebrate species have already been shown to play an important role in the transmission of Coxiella burnetii, the full epidemiology picture in the tropics is far from clear, and the prison context, with its controlled environment, could help provide answers.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Cases of acute Q fever in the penitentiary center of Cayenne between 2019 and 2021 (n = 13), and monthly rainfall (in mm).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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