Causing Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Coxiella burnetii is a rare cause of chronic infection that most frequently presents as endocarditis. We report a case of C burnetii causing an infected abdominal aortic aneurysm with contiguous lumbar osteomyelitis resulting in spinal cord compromise. The diagnosis was established by serologic studies consistent with chronic Q-fever (ratio of C burnetii immuno-globulin [Ig]G phase II titer to IgG phase I titer <1) and was confirmed by positive C burnetii polymerase chain reaction of vertebral tissue in addition to pathology of vertebral bone show-ing intracellular Gram-negative coccobacillary bacteria. The pa-tient clinically improved after surgical decompression and prolonged treatment with doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine