Q fever in the Russian Federation: problematic issues

The study assesses the spread of Q fever in the European Union and in countries bordering Russia. An analysis of Q fever incidence in the Russian Federation from 1957 to 2023 was conducted. From 1997 to 2023, of the 3,077 Q fever cases registered in 24 Russian regions, 2,410 (78.3%) occurred in the Southern Federal District, with 2,250 (73.1%) cases in the Astrakhan Region; 380 (12.3%) cases were identified in Stavropol Krai (North Caucasus Federal District). During the Covid-19 pandemic (2020–2021), there was a sharp decline in the number of cases of this infection in Russia, with a further increase in 2022 and 2023. In 2024, 286 cases of Q fever were identified (0.20 per 100,000 population). Cases were registered in eight constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The Stavropol Krai (138 cases, 4.78 per 100,000 population) and the Astrakhan Region (127 cases, 13.39 per 100,000 population) accounted for the largest share of official cases (92.7%). The long-term epidemiological problems in these regions are due to the presence of anthropourgic foci. For a long period, a number of administrative territories have experienced an increased incidence of Q fever in the population, despite the absence of identified foci of this infection among the main sources of Coxiella burnetii—farm animals. This situation is directly related to problems with laboratory diagnostics of Q fever and the need to amend regulatory and methodological documents.