Bartonella (Rochalimaea) quintana infections

Abstract

Bartonella (formerly Rochalimaea) quintana is the etiological agent of trench fever, a disease extensively reported during the World Wars. Recent molecular biology approaches have allowed dramatic extension of the spectrum of Bartonella infections. B. quintana is now also recognized as an etiological agent of fever and bacteremia, endocarditis, bacillary angiomatosis, and chronic lymphadenopathy. Human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients and/or homeless people are the most vulnerable to infection. Poverty and louse infestation were the main epidemiological factors associated with B. quintana infections during wartime. Although poverty and chronic alcoholism have been associated with modern cases of trench fever and bacteremia due to B. quintana in Europe and the United States, vectors for B. quintana have not been clearly identified and B. quintana has not been isolated from modern-day lice. Microscopic bacillary angiomatosis lesions are characterized by tumor-like capillary lobules, with proliferating endothelial cells. In vitro experiments have shown that B. quintana survives within endothelial cells and stimulates cell proliferation. These observations, together with the finding that lesions may regress when antibiotic therapy is administered, strongly suggest that B. quintana itself stimulates angiogenesis. Bartonella infections are characterized by a high frequency of relapses after brief courses of antibiotic therapy. It is to be noted that in vitro, although Bartonella species are highly susceptible to antibiotics, only the aminoglycosides have proved to be bactericidal. However, the most effective antibiotic regimen for Bartonella infections remains to be established.

Severe Anemia, Panserositis, and Cryptogenic Hepatitis in an HIV Patient Infected withBartonella henselae

“…With electronic microscopy, individual trilaminar cell wall bacilli, consistent with Bartonella species, were observed in erythrocytes, skin, liver, and pleural and peritoneal tissues [1,4,5]. Bartonella sp.…”

“…Diagnosis of bartonelloses may be confirmed by culture methods, histology, and serology, all of which may yield negative results in AIDS patients [2,4,5]. Histopathology is important for the diagnosis of BA, Carri o on disease, and cat-scratch disease.…”

“…Symptoms of systemic illness can be found with or without peliosis of internal organs, such as liver, spleen and bone marrow. Generalized hepatomegaly, focal hepatic abscesses, and granulomatous hepatitis represent forms of hepatic pathology that have been associated with B. henselae infection [2][3][4][5]19].…”

Serine proteinases of the human body louse (Pediculus humanus): sequence characterization and expression patterns

“…Rickettsia, syn. Rochalimaea) quintana, which cause louse-borne epidemic typhus, relapsing fever and trench fever, respectively (Fulton and Smith 1960;Maurin and Raoult 1996;Schaub, 2001;Fournier et al 2002). In the United States alone, at least 100 million dollars are spent annually on head lice control (Jones and English 2003;Hipolito et al 2001).…”

Bartonellosis as Cause of Death After Red Blood Cell Unit Transfusion

“…Other expressions of infection by these agents are Oroya fever, which progresses with severe anemia caused by erythrocytic parasitism [1], and trench fever, characterized by recurrent fever associated with infection by Bartonella quintana [7]. In addition to these characteristic manifestations, psychiatric manifestations may occur, such as bipolar disorder, neurological disorders, such as Leber neuroretinitis, and dementia in immunodeficient HIV patients [8].…”