Acute Coxiella burnetii infection presenting as sepsis with multisystem involvement in an immunosuppressed patient: a case report - Takeaways - MDSpire
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Severe Multisystem Sepsis Due to Acute Coxiella burnetii Infection in an Immunocompromised Individual: A Case Study

  • By

  • Yaozong Xia

  • Lin Fu

  • Xiu Cao

  • Xuxiang Zheng

  • Bin Nie

  • August 24, 2026

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  • 1

    A 68-year-old immunocompromised man developed severe multisystem sepsis due to acute Coxiella burnetii infection without clear epidemiological exposure.

  • 2

    Conventional microbiological tests were negative, but metagenomic next-generation sequencing identified C. burnetii nucleic acid in the patient's blood.

  • 3

    The patient presented with persistent fever, pancytopenia, hepatic dysfunction, and polyserosal effusions, complicating diagnosis.

  • 4

    Following targeted treatment with doxycycline, the patient's fever resolved, and clinical and laboratory parameters improved significantly.

  • 5

    This case highlights the potential role of mNGS in diagnosing severe infections in immunocompromised patients when conventional tests fail.

Original Source(s)

Acute Coxiella burnetii infection presenting as sepsis with multisystem involvement in an immunosuppressed patient: a case report

  • by Yaozong Xia, Lin Fu, Xiu Cao, Xuxiang Zheng, Bin Nie

  • August 24, 2026

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