Epidemiology of clinical Q fever in Northern Ireland.

IRELAND was once thought to be free of Q fever (Kaplan and Bertagna, 1955). An investigation of patients, abattoir workers, veterinary surgeons, farm workers and farm animals in Northern Ireland showed that Q fever was present and entered the country sometime between April 1957 and February 1962 when the first known clinical case occurred (Connolly, 1968). In the Republic of Ireland a survey was carried out between 1966 and 1970 which showed that Q fever was present there as well (Hillary, Shattock and Meenan, 1971). Some epidemiological and clinical data on 57 patients in Northern Ireland with Q fever are reported here.