BARTONELLA

BARTONELLA

Characteristics

  • Gram -
  • Pleomorphic rod
  • Motile
  • Non-spore forming
  • Non-encapsulated
  • Obligate aerobic
  • Facultative intracellular

Bartonella henselae

Characteristics

  • Obligate pathogen

Reservoirs

  • Humans (not normal flora)
  • Animals (primarily cats)

Transmission

  • Zoonotic
  • Vectorial (fleas)

Toxins

  • None in particular

Diseases

1. Cat Scratch Disease

  • A single purulent papular lesion at the site of initial infection, low grade fever and local lymphadenomegaly
  • Spontaneously resolves in < 3 months
  • caused by Bartonella henselae infection of the skin
  • May progress to bacillary angiomatosis and/or bacillary peliosis

2. Bacillary Angiomatosis

  • Cystic congested vascular proliferations in the skin and mucous membranes.
  • Primarily occurs in immunocompromized.
  • Caused by Bartonella henselae infection of vascular endothelium.

3. Bacillary Peliosis

  • Cystic congested vascular proliferations in the liver and spleen
  • Primarily occurs in immunocompromized
  • Caused by Bartonella henselae infection of vascular endothelium

Treatment

  1. Tetracyclines in conjunction with surgical drainage (if cat scratch disease)
  2. Tetracyclines (if bacillary angiomatosis and/or bacillary peilosis)

Bartonella quintana

Characteristics

Obligate pathogen

Reservoirs

Humans (only reservoir, not normal flora)

Transmission

Vectorial (body lice)

Toxins

None in particular

Diseases

1. Acute Trench Fever

  • High fever, headache, myalgias (primarily of the calves, back and abdomen) and skin rashes for < 1 week " afebrile period for > 2 weeks " progressively shorter and milder periods of fever and progressively longer afebrile periods until it completely disappears
  • Primarily occurs in homeless
  • Analogous to relapsing fever
  • Caused by Bartonella quintana septicemia
  • May progress to chronic trench fever, bacillary angiomatosis and/or bacillary peliosis.

2. Chronic Trench Fever

  • Relapsing high fever, headache, myalgias and skin rashes in conjunction with subacute infectous endocarditis, hepatic abscesses and splenic abscesses
  • Primarily occurs in immunosuppressed
  • Caused by progression of acute trench fever.

3. Bacillary Angiomatosis

4. Bacillary Peliosis

Treatment

  • Tetracyclines
  • Macrolides