Molecular Mechanisms of Bartonella and Mammalian Erythrocyte Interactions: A Review

Abstract

Bartonellosis is an infectious disease caused by Bartonella species that are distributed worldwide with animal and public health impact varying according to Bartonella species, infection phase, immunological characteristics, and geographical region. Bartonella is widely present in various mammals including cats, rodents, ruminants, and humans. At least 13 Bartonella species or subspecies are zoonotic. Each species has few reservoir animals in which it is often asymptomatic. Bartonella infection may lead to various clinical symptoms in humans. As described in the B.tribocorum-rat model, when Bartonella was seeded into the blood stream, they could escape immunity, adhered to and invaded host erythrocytes. They then replicated and persisted in the infected erythrocytes for several weeks. This review summarizes the current knowledge of how Bartonella prevent phagocytosis and complement activation, what pathogenesis factors are involved in erythrocyte adhesion and invasion, and how Bartonella could replicate and persist in mammalian erythrocytes. Current advances in research will help us to decipher molecular mechanisms of interactions between Bartonella and mammalian erythrocytes and may help in the development of biological strategies for the prevention and control of bartonellosis.

Effect of different drugs and drug combinations on killing stationary phase and biofilms recovered cells of Bartonella henselae in vitro

“…Bartonella species are fastidious, Gram-negative intracellular bacteria [1] that are widely present in various mammals including cats, rodents, ruminants, and humans [2,3]. They are transmitted mainly by direct contact such as animal scratches and bites, or by some arthropods such as sand flies, lice, fleas, biting flies, and ticks [4].…”

“…So far, at least 40 species or subspecies of Bartonella have been discovered [5]. At least 13 Bartonella species or subspecies are zoonotic [2]. Three species of Bartonella including B. henselae, B. quintana, and B. bacilliformis, are responsible for the great majority of infections in humans [6].…”

Virulence Factors of Bacteria Related to Ocular Infections in Non Immunocompromised Patients: Review Article

“…BadA of B. henselae is an outer membrane protein homologous to Yersinia adhesin A (YadA), Haemophilus surface fibrils (Hsf), Moraxella surface protein A (UspA) and Haemophilus adhesin (Hia) It is part of the trimeric autotransporter adhesion (TAA) family, and causes bacterial autoaggregation. BadA activates an important mediator of angiogenesis and mediates interaction of the microorganism with extracellular matrix proteins and prevents complement activation [35,37].…”

“…Staphylococcus aureus, members of the Genus Streptococci, Corynebacterium (Non-diphtheriae) Species and Bacillus Species among Gram positive bacteria have evolved an arsenal that triggers inflammatory response and tissue damage [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Ocular infections due to Gram negative bacteria like Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Bartonella Species are still a challenge to deal with and to avoid their devastating eyesight impairment [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]. The purpose of this review was to gather established and resent knowledge of the virulence factors of these bacteria, and to describe their mechanisms of ocular invasion and damage.…”

Imaging analysis of Bartonella species in the skin using single‐photon and multi‐photon (second harmonic generation) laser scanning microscopy

“…Inside the mammalian reservoir host, the infection spreads to the blood, a secondary niche, where bacteria invade erythrocytes and a long-lasting bacteremia develops, a hallmark of Bartonella infection. 1,[13][14][15][16][17] Bacteremia caused by Bartonella spp. is potentially fatal, especially in immunodeficient patients, while immunocompetent individuals are at risk of chronic infection.…”