Besides fever with pneumonia or hepatitis, which complications can occur with acute Q fever?

• A. No additional complications
• B. Only pneumonia
• C. Meningoencephalitis and myocarditis
• D. Kidney failure

Answer: (C)

Acute Q fever can affect organs beyond the lungs and liver because Coxiella burnetii can spread through the blood. In addition to fever with pneumonia or hepatitis, the infection can involve the nervous system and the heart. Meningoencephalitis is a CNS complication that can occur when the bacteria invade or inflame the brain and surrounding membranes, leading to symptoms like headache, confusion, or altered consciousness. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle and can manifest with chest pain, arrhythmias, or heart failure in some cases of acute Q fever.

So, the best choice recognizes these less common but documented acute complications: meningioencephalitis and myocarditis. Kidney failure is not a typical acute complication, and while endocarditis is associated with Q fever, it is more commonly linked to chronic infection rather than the acute phase.