Q fever: a new ocular manifestation

Clin Ophthalmol. 2011:5:1273-5. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S18771. Epub 2011 Sep 6.

Abstract

Q Fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii. Ocular manifestations are rare in this infection. We describe the case of a man complaining of an intense retro-orbital headache, fever, arthralgia, and bilateral loss of vision, who showed an anterior uveitis accompanied by exudative bilateral inferior retinal detachment and optic disk edema. At the beginning, a Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome was suspected, but the patient was diagnosed with Q fever and treatment with doxycycline was initiated, with complete resolution after 2 weeks. We wondered if Q fever could unleash VKH syndrome or simulate a VKH syndrome by a similar immunological process.

Keywords: Q fever; Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome; exudative retinal detachment; panuveitis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports