TY - JOUR AU - Tissot-Dupont, Hervé AU - Amadei, Marie-Antoinette AU - Nezri, Meyer AU - Raoult, Didier T1 - Wind in November, Q fever in December T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2004 VL - 10 IS - 7 SP - 1264 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Q fever, a worldwide zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, can be transmitted from animal reservoirs to humans by the inhalation of infected aerosols. We investigated the epidemiology of Q fever in the Bouches-du-Rhone district of southern France, particularly the role of wind and rainfall in C. burnetii transmission. During the winter of 1998 to 1999, an unexpected number of cases were diagnosed in the area. This statistically higher incidence was associated with an increased frequency of the mistral 1 month before onset of disease, i.e., shortly after the main lambing season. These data confirm that wind plays a role in C. burnetii transmission, a factor that can be monitored but not prevented. Further studies are needed to identify and confirm preventable individual behavioral risk factors for Q fever. KW - Q fever KW - Coxiella burnetii KW - epidemiology KW - human transmission KW - wind KW - France DO - 10.3201/eid1007.030724 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/7/03-0724_article ER - End of Reference