B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma linked to Coxiella burnetii

  • Clea Melenotte
  • , Matthieu Million
  • , Gilles Audoly
  • , Audrey Gorse
  • , Herve Dutronc
  • , Gauthier Roland
  • , Michal Dekel
  • , Asuncion Moreno
  • , Serge Cammilleri
  • , Maria Patrizia Carrieri
  • , Camelia Protopopescu
  • , Philippe Ruminy
  • , Hubert Lepidi
  • , Bertrand Nadel
  • , Jean Louis Mege
  • , Luc Xerri
  • , Didier Raoult

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

86 Scopus citations

Abstract

Bacteria can induce human lymphomas, whereas lymphoproliferative disorders have been described in patients with Q fever. We observed a lymphoma in a patient with Q fever that prompted us to investigate the association between the 2 diseases. We screened 1468 consecutive patients of the 2004 to 2014 French National Referral Center for Q fever database. The standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) were calculated comparatively to the 2012 Francim Registry. The presence of Coxiella burnetii was tested using immunofluorescence and fluorescence in situ hybridization using a specific 16S ribosomal RNA probe and genomic DNA probe. Seven patients (0.48%) presented mature B-cell lymphoma consisting of 6DLBCL and 1 FL. An excess risk of DLBCL and FL was found in Q fever patients compared with the general population (SIR [95% confidence interval], 25.4 [11.4-56.4] and 6.7 [0.9-47.9], respectively). C burnetii was detected in CD68+ macrophages within both lymphoma and lymphadenitis tissues but localization in CD123+plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) was found only in lymphoma tissues. Q fever patients with persistent focalized infection were found more at risk of lymphoma (hazard ratio, 9.35 [1.10-79.4]). Interleukin-10 (IL10) overproduction (P 5 .0003) was found in patients developing lymphoma. These results suggest that C burnetii should be added to the list of bacteria that promote human B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma ,possibly by the infection of pDCs andIL10 overproduction. Screening for early lymphoma diagnosis should be considered in the management of patients with Q fever, especially those with persistent focalized infections.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)113-121
Number of pages9
JournalBlood
Volume127
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 7 Jan 2016

Keywords

  • Coxiella burnetii is associated with an increased risk of lymphoma
  • Especially those with persistent focalized infections
  • Its presence in the tumor microenvironment may favor lymphomagenesis
  • Lymphoma has to be considered in patients with q fever and lymphoid disorders

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