Chronic Q Fever Endocarditis in an Omani Child: The First Pediatric Case Report from Oman

Abstract

Q fever endocarditis is the most common presentation of chronic infection of Coxiella burnetii, but it rarely occurs in the pediatric age group. We report the first case of Q fever endocarditis in an Omani child. The affected 11-year-old female lives in the Al Batinah governorate in the north of Oman and was known to have congenital heart disease. She presented with features of chronic blood culture-negative endocarditis. The C. burnetii infection was confirmed with the indirect immunofluorescence assay. The patient responded well to a combination of doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine therapy.

The First Confirmed Pediatric Chronic Osteomyelitis due to Coxiella Burnetii in Oman

“…The first pediatric chronic Q fever endocarditis case was reported in 2019 in a child with congenital heart disease who was treated successfully with antibiotics. 10 A study conducted in 2001 on the seroprevalence in 102 adults from northern Oman revealed that 9.8% were seropositive from previous C. burnetii infections. 5 …”