Kagawa, Frank T, Wehner, John H, Mohindra, Vibha · Seminars in respiratory infections · 2003
Q fever is a rare bacterial infection that can be caught from animals and is highly contagious. Most people who catch it have no symptoms or mild flu-like illness, but some develop serious complications like pneumonia or inflammation of the heart. Importantly, a small number of people develop chronic Q fever, which can cause long-term fatigue similar to ME/CFS.
This review is relevant to ME/CFS researchers because it documents that chronic Q fever can present as a chronic fatigue syndrome phenotype, suggesting infectious triggers may play a role in post-infectious fatigue disorders. The detailed clinical presentation and treatment protocols may help clinicians recognize and manage Q fever in patients presenting with ME/CFS-like symptoms, improving diagnostic accuracy.
This review does not establish that Q fever is a common cause of ME/CFS, nor does it prove that the chronic fatigue following Q fever is pathophysiologically identical to ME/CFS. The study also does not provide epidemiological data on the prevalence of post-Q fever chronic fatigue or long-term patient outcomes.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Kagawa, Frank T, Wehner, John H, & Mohindra, Vibha (2003). Q fever as a biological weapon.. Seminars in respiratory infections. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14505280/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-kagawa-2003-fever-biological,
author = {Kagawa, Frank T and Wehner, John H and Mohindra, Vibha},
title = {Q fever as a biological weapon.},
journal = {Seminars in respiratory infections},
year = {2003},
note = {PubMed: 14505280},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kagawa-2003-fever-biological},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/kagawa-2003-fever-biological
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