Doxycycline and chloroquine as treatment for chronic Q fever endocarditis

J Infect. 2002 Aug;45(2):127-9. doi: 10.1053/jinf.2002.0984.

Abstract

Endocarditis is a rare but severe complication of Q fever, an infectious disease caused by the intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii. Heart involvement is the most common clinical presentation of chronic Q fever, and it occurs almost invariably in patients with previous valvular disease or artificial valves, and in the immunocompromised host. The optimal treatment of Q fever endocarditis is still today debated, and recommended duration of treatment varies from one year to one's lifespan. A case of chronic Q fever endocarditis is described in a patient with biological prosthetic aortic valve and aortic homograft, successfully treated with doxycycline and chloroquine for 2 years.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Aorta / transplantation
  • Chloroquine / therapeutic use*
  • Chronic Disease
  • Coxiella burnetii / isolation & purification
  • Doxycycline / therapeutic use*
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Endocarditis, Bacterial / complications*
  • Endocarditis, Bacterial / drug therapy*
  • Endocarditis, Bacterial / microbiology
  • Heart Valve Prosthesis
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Q Fever / complications*
  • Q Fever / drug therapy*
  • Q Fever / microbiology
  • Serologic Tests

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Chloroquine
  • Doxycycline