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Genus of bacteria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bartonella is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria. It is the only genus in the family Bartonellaceae.[2][3] Facultative intracellular parasites, Bartonella species can infect healthy people, but are considered especially important as opportunistic pathogens.[4] Bartonella species are transmitted by vectors such as fleas, sand flies, and mosquitoes. At least eight Bartonella species or subspecies are known to infect humans.[5]
Bartonella henselae is the organism responsible for cat scratch disease.
Bartonella species have been infecting humans for thousands of years, as demonstrated by Bartonella quintana DNA in a 4000-year-old tooth.[6] The genus is named for Alberto Leonardo Barton Thompson (1871–October 26, 1950), a Peruvian scientist.[7]
Though some studies have found "no definitive evidence of transmission by a tick to a vertebrate host,"[8][9] Bartonella species are well-known to be transmissible to both animals and humans through various other vectors, such as fleas, lice, and sand flies.[10][11] Bartonella bacteria are associated with cat-scratch disease, but a study in 2010 concluded, "Clinicians should be aware that ... a history of an animal scratch or bite is not necessary for disease transmission."[12] All current Bartonella species identified in canines are human pathogens.[13]
Bartonella infections are remarkable in the wide range of symptoms they can produce. The course of the diseases (acute or chronic) and the underlying pathologies are highly variable.[14]
| Bartonella pathophysiology in humans | ||||
| Species | Human reservoir or incidental host? | Animal reservoir | Pathophysiology | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. bacilliformis | Reservoir | Causes Carrion's disease (Oroya fever, Verruga peruana) | Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia | |
| B. quintana | Reservoir | Japanese macaque | Causes trench fever, bacillary angiomatosis, and endocarditis | Worldwide |
| B. clarridgeiae | Incidental | Domestic cat | Cat scratch disease | |
| B. elizabethae | Incidental | Rat | Endocarditis | |
| B. grahamii | Incidental | Mouse | Endocarditis and neuroretinitis | |
| B. henselae | Incidental | Domestic cat | Cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, peliosis hepatis, endocarditis, bacteremia with fever, neuroretinitis, meningitis, encephalitis | Worldwide |
| B. koehlerae | Incidental | Domestic cat | ||
| B. naantaliensis | Reservoir | Myotis daubentonii | ||
| B. vinsonii | Incidental | Mouse, dog, domestic cat | Endocarditis, bacteremia | |
| B. washoensis | Incidental | Squirrel | Myocarditis | |
| B. rochalimae | Incidental | Unknown | Carrion's disease-like symptoms | |
| References:[15][16][17][18][14] | ||||
Treatment is dependent on which species or strain of Bartonella is found in a given patient. While Bartonella species are susceptible to a number of standard antibiotics in vitro—macrolides and tetracycline, for example—the efficacy of antibiotic treatment in immunocompetent individuals is uncertain.[14] Immunocompromised patients should be treated with antibiotics because they are particularly susceptible to systemic disease and bacteremia. Drugs of particular effectiveness include trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and rifampin; B. henselae is generally resistant to penicillin, amoxicillin, and nafcillin.[14]
Homeless intravenous drug users are at high risk for Bartonella infections, particularly B. elizabethae. B. elizabethae seropositivity rates in this population range from 12.5% in Los Angeles,[19] to 33% in Baltimore, Maryland,[20] 46% in New York City,[21] and 39% in Sweden.[22]
The currently accepted taxonomy is based on the List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN).[1] The phylogeny is based on whole-genome analysis.[23]
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