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Q fever, a rickettsial infection seen worldwide, is caused by Coxiella burnetii. Most outbreaks occur in rural areas and are associated with exposure to animals or their excreta. Now, researchers describe a large outbreak of this illness at a religious boarding school in Tel Aviv, Israel.
A total of 187 individuals — 179 students and 8 employees — reported being ill between June 15 and July 31, 2005. The principal symptoms included fever, headache, and weakness. Among 164 individuals who had serologic tests performed, 108 (66%) were confirmed as having Q fever based on elevated IgM or IgG titers. When these case patients were compared with 20 controls who had negative serologic results, three factors were significantly associated with contra…