Animal Health Department, NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Derio, Bizkaia, Spain.
These authors contributed equally to the work and share first authorship.
Euro Surveill. 2023 Jul;28(28). doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.28.28.2200824.
We describe a large Q fever outbreak reported in Spain, including 108 cases, 53 with pneumonia and 27 requiring hospitalisations. The first cases were detected in February 2021 among rock climbers visiting a cave in Bizkaia, and the last case was detected in October 2021. Most cases were notified after the Easter holiday (April-May 2021). More males (63.9%) than females (36.1%) were infected (median ages: 42 (1-68) and 39 years (6-61), respectively). We detected by PCR in faecal, dust and/or aerosol samples taken inside the cave in March 2021, and in dust and aerosol samples collected between March 2021 and February 2023. from dust samples were cultured on Vero cells, showing viability for 24 months. Based on serological and genotyping data, goats sheltering in the cave were the most likely source of infection. The cave was closed on 29 April 2021, movements of goats and sheep in the area were restricted (March-July 2021), and the animals were vaccinated in October 2021. Investigation of Q fever outbreaks requires a multidisciplinary One Health approach as these outbreaks can occur in unexpected places like natural sites where animals are present.
我们描述了西班牙发生的一次大规模 Q 热疫情，共报告了 108 例病例，其中 53 例伴有肺炎，27 例需要住院治疗。首例病例于 2021 年 2 月在毕尔巴鄂的一个洞穴中攀岩的游客中发现，最后一例病例于 2021 年 10 月发现。大多数病例是在复活节假期（2021 年 4 月至 5 月）之后报告的。感染的男性（63.9%）多于女性（36.1%）（中位数年龄分别为 42 岁（1-68 岁）和 39 岁（6-61 岁））。我们在 2021 年 3 月从洞穴内采集的粪便、灰尘和/或气溶胶样本中，以及在 2021 年 3 月至 2023 年 2 月之间采集的灰尘和气溶胶样本中通过 PCR 检测到。从灰尘样本中培养的 可在vero 细胞中存活 24 个月。基于血清学和基因分型数据，栖息在洞穴中的山羊最有可能是感染源。该洞穴于 2021 年 4 月 29 日关闭，该地区的山羊和绵羊的活动受到限制（2021 年 3 月至 7 月），并于 2021 年 10 月对动物进行了疫苗接种。Q 热疫情的调查需要采取多学科的“同一健康”方法，因为这些疫情可能发生在意想不到的地方，如存在动物的自然场所。
