Pathogenicity and Virulence of Coxiella burnetii: Focus on Q fever

Coxiella burnetii is responsible for Q fever, a zoonosis that mainly manifests as a mild acute infection and may persist in specific individuals causing severe complications, including endocarditis and vascular infections. Transmission mainly occurs through the inhalation of aerosols, underlining ba...

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Main Authors: Soraya Mezouar, Benoit Desnues, Yassina Bechah, Nathalie Bardin, Christian Devaux, Jean-Louis Mege
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Virulence
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21505594.2025.2495842
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author Soraya Mezouar
Benoit Desnues
Yassina Bechah
Nathalie Bardin
Christian Devaux
Jean-Louis Mege
author_facet Soraya Mezouar
Benoit Desnues
Yassina Bechah
Nathalie Bardin
Christian Devaux
Jean-Louis Mege
author_sort Soraya Mezouar
collection DOAJ
description Coxiella burnetii is responsible for Q fever, a zoonosis that mainly manifests as a mild acute infection and may persist in specific individuals causing severe complications, including endocarditis and vascular infections. Transmission mainly occurs through the inhalation of aerosols, underlining bacterial resistance to environmental stress. C. burnetii is an intracellular gram-negative pathogen that can infect and survive in monocytes and macrophages and replicate within acidic compartments. C. burnetii expresses several virulence factors, including lipopolysaccharide and a type IV secretion system, which are involved in hijacking several functions of the immune system and controlling cell death. This review summarizes research on C. burnetii infection from clinical presentation of Q fever to bacterial and host factors of virulence. It compiles immunological data associated with bacterial cure or persistence and discusses a potential link between C. burnetii-macrophage interaction and immune dysregulation of Q fever.
format Article
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institution DOAJ
issn 2150-5594
2150-5608
language English
publishDate 2025-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series Virulence
spelling doaj-art-438df3cf19f94affbc341b2c948b36d72025-08-20T03:21:42ZengTaylor & Francis GroupVirulence2150-55942150-56082025-12-0116110.1080/21505594.2025.2495842Pathogenicity and Virulence of Coxiella burnetii: Focus on Q feverSoraya Mezouar0Benoit Desnues1Yassina Bechah2Nathalie Bardin3Christian Devaux4Jean-Louis Mege5Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Établissement Français du Sang, Anthropologie Bio-Culturelle, Droit, Éthique et Santé, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, FranceMEPHI, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, FranceMEPHI, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, FranceInstitut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, Centre de Recherche en CardioVasculaire et Nutrition, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, FranceMEPHI, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, FranceCentre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Établissement Français du Sang, Anthropologie Bio-Culturelle, Droit, Éthique et Santé, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, FranceCoxiella burnetii is responsible for Q fever, a zoonosis that mainly manifests as a mild acute infection and may persist in specific individuals causing severe complications, including endocarditis and vascular infections. Transmission mainly occurs through the inhalation of aerosols, underlining bacterial resistance to environmental stress. C. burnetii is an intracellular gram-negative pathogen that can infect and survive in monocytes and macrophages and replicate within acidic compartments. C. burnetii expresses several virulence factors, including lipopolysaccharide and a type IV secretion system, which are involved in hijacking several functions of the immune system and controlling cell death. This review summarizes research on C. burnetii infection from clinical presentation of Q fever to bacterial and host factors of virulence. It compiles immunological data associated with bacterial cure or persistence and discusses a potential link between C. burnetii-macrophage interaction and immune dysregulation of Q fever.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21505594.2025.2495842Coxiella burnetiiQ fevermacrophagesvirulence factors
spellingShingle Soraya Mezouar
Benoit Desnues
Yassina Bechah
Nathalie Bardin
Christian Devaux
Jean-Louis Mege
Pathogenicity and Virulence of Coxiella burnetii: Focus on Q fever
Virulence
Coxiella burnetii
Q fever
macrophages
virulence factors
title Pathogenicity and Virulence of Coxiella burnetii: Focus on Q fever
title_full Pathogenicity and Virulence of Coxiella burnetii: Focus on Q fever
title_fullStr Pathogenicity and Virulence of Coxiella burnetii: Focus on Q fever
title_full_unstemmed Pathogenicity and Virulence of Coxiella burnetii: Focus on Q fever
title_short Pathogenicity and Virulence of Coxiella burnetii: Focus on Q fever
title_sort pathogenicity and virulence of coxiella burnetii focus on q fever
topic Coxiella burnetii
Q fever
macrophages
virulence factors
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21505594.2025.2495842
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