Q fever meningoencephalitis in a soldier returning from the persian gulf war

Acute infection with Coxiella burnetii usually results in a self-limited illness requiring a high index of clinical suspicion for diagnosis. Although headache is a common presentation of acute infection with this agent, focal neurological deficits are considered to be limited to chronic infection, most commonly caused by emboli from endocarditis. We report the case of a soldier returning from Desert Storm who presented with headache and a crescendo pattern of transient ischemic attacks and had serology consistent with an acute Q fever infection. The English-language literature on central nervous system infection caused by Coxiella burnetii is reviewed.