We investigated a Q fever outbreak that occurred in an isolated area of the Amazon Rain Forest in French Guiana in 2014. Capybara fecal samples were positive for Coxiella burnetii DNA. Being near brush cutters in use was associated with disease development. Capybaras are a putative reservoir for C. burnetii.
Keywords: Amazon Rain Forest; Comté River; Coxiella burnetii; French Guiana; Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris; MST17; Q fever; bacteria; brush cutter; capybara; grass trimmer; infectious aerosols; military personnel; multispacer sequence type 17; outbreak; pneumonia; sylvatic cycle; weed cutter; zoonoses.