endocarditis caused by coxiella burnetii: a case report in western iran

Background: q fever is a contagious zoonotic disease which is caused by a gram-negative and an intracellular cocco­bacillus known as coxiella burnetii that ticks play role in its transmission. endocarditis is the most common conse­quence of chronic q fever. methods: here we report a case of endocarditis caused by q fever. the patient is a 67-year-old, and she had coronary artery bypass graft (cabg) and aortic valve replacement surgery. results: the result of echocardiography showed a suspicious mass (vegetation) on the implanted valve. based on la­boratory and clinical assessments, endocarditis caused by c. burnetii was the final diagnosis. conclusion: q fever is a tick-transmitted pathogen that has been known as an important cause of culture-negative en­docarditis in iran, and more attention needed to be paid to this disease in iran by the healthcare system and physicians.