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Some microorganisms transmitted to man via tick bite are responsible for infections, which can be associated with neuro-meningeal complications. TBE virus is the most frequent virus associated with potentially severe neurological lesions. No treatment is available so far. The most frequent bacterial diseases in which neurological complications may appear are Lyme borreliosis, Q fever and some rickettsial infections. More recently ehrlichiosis have emerged as new infections that may be associated with neuro-meningeal complications. Appropriate antibiotic therapy may be used for the treatment of these bacterial infections, but no vaccine is available so far.

We report here a case of acute fever with pleuropericarditis and high levels of Coxiella burnetti antibodies (phase II), excluding other possible etiologies. Complete recovery occurred with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents combined with tetracycline.

Q fever is seldom reported in West Africa. The case of a man returning from Guinea Bissau who presented an acute lobar pneumonia with fever, headache, hematuria and hepatitis was confirmed by high titers of antibody in Phase II indirect immuno-fluorescence which appeared on the twelfth day of fever. Treatment with erythromycin was continued by doxycyclin, and complete resolution of all signs was promptly obtained. Coxiella Burnetii might thus be responsible of cases of unexplained fever with respiratory or hepatic manifestations in West Africa.