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Pediatrics in Review Aug 2020
Topics: Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Humans
PubMed: 32737259
DOI: 10.1542/pir.2019-0198 -
Infectious Disease Clinics of North... Mar 1998Bartonella-associated infections occur in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. The spectrum of diseases caused by Bartonella species has expanded and now... (Review)
Review
Bartonella-associated infections occur in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. The spectrum of diseases caused by Bartonella species has expanded and now includes cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, bacillary peliosis, bacteremia, endocarditis, and trench fever. Most Bartonella-associated infections that occur in North America and Europe are caused by B. henselae or B. quintana. The domestic cat serves as the major reservoir for B. henselae; the reservoir for the modern day B. quintana infection remains unknown. Methods used to diagnose Bartonella-associated infections include histopathologic analysis of biopsy specimens, culture of tissue samples, blood culture, and serology. Available data on treatment of Bartonella-associated infections remain relatively sparse but would suggest that erythromycin or doxycycline provide the best responses.
Topics: AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Cats; Communicable Disease Control; DNA, Bacterial; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Polymerase Chain Reaction
PubMed: 9494835
DOI: 10.1016/s0891-5520(05)70414-1 -
Journal of Neuro-ophthalmology : the... Dec 2023
Topics: Humans; Bartonella; Retinitis; Bartonella henselae; Cat-Scratch Disease
PubMed: 37651205
DOI: 10.1097/WNO.0000000000002000 -
Parasites & Vectors Mar 2022Species of the genus Bartonella are facultative intracellular alphaproteobacteria with zoonotic potential. Bartonella infections in humans range from mild with... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Species of the genus Bartonella are facultative intracellular alphaproteobacteria with zoonotic potential. Bartonella infections in humans range from mild with unspecific symptoms to life threatening, and can be transmitted via arthropod vectors or through direct contact with infected hosts, although the latter mode of transmission is rare. Among the small mammals that harbour Bartonella spp., rodents are the most speciose group and harbour the highest diversity of these parasites. Human-rodent interactions are not unlikely as many rodent species live in proximity to humans. However, a surprisingly low number of clinical cases of bartonellosis related to rodent-associated Bartonella spp. have thus far been recorded in humans.
METHODS
The main purpose of this review is to determine explanatory factors for this unexpected finding, by taking a closer look at published clinical cases of bartonellosis connected with rodent-associated Bartonella species, some of which have been newly described in recent years. Thus, another focus of this review are these recently proposed species.
CONCLUSIONS
Worldwide, only 24 cases of bartonellosis caused by rodent-associated bartonellae have been reported in humans. Possible reasons for this low number of cases in comparison to the high prevalences of Bartonella in small mammal species are (i) a lack of awareness amongst physicians of Bartonella infections in humans in general, and especially those caused by rodent-associated bartonellae; and (ii) a frequent lack of the sophisticated equipment required for the confirmation of Bartonella infections in laboratories that undertake routine diagnostic testing. As regards recently described Bartonella spp., there are presently 14 rodent-associated Candidatus taxa. In contrast to species which have been taxonomically classified, there is no official process for the review of proposed Candidatus species and their names before they are published. This had led to the use of malformed names that are not based on the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Researchers are thus encouraged to propose Candidatus names to the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes for approval before publishing them, and only to propose new species of Bartonella when the relevant datasets allow them to be clearly differentiated from known species and subspecies.
Topics: Animals; Arthropod Vectors; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Humans; Parasites; Rodentia
PubMed: 35361285
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05162-5 -
Cellular Microbiology Nov 2019The processes underlying host adaptation by bacterial pathogens remain a fundamental question with relevant clinical, ecological, and evolutionary implications. Zoonotic... (Review)
Review
The processes underlying host adaptation by bacterial pathogens remain a fundamental question with relevant clinical, ecological, and evolutionary implications. Zoonotic pathogens of the genus Bartonella constitute an exceptional model to study these aspects. Bartonellae have undergone a spectacular diversification into multiple species resulting from adaptive radiation. Specific adaptations of a complex facultative intracellular lifestyle have enabled the colonisation of distinct mammalian reservoir hosts. This remarkable host adaptability has a multifactorial basis and is thought to be driven by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and recombination among a limited genus-specific pan genome. Recent functional and evolutionary studies revealed that the conserved Bartonella gene transfer agent (BaGTA) mediates highly efficient HGT and could thus drive this evolution. Here, we review the recent progress made towards understanding BaGTA evolution, function, and its role in the evolution and pathogenesis of Bartonella spp. We notably discuss how BaGTA could have contributed to genome diversification through recombination of beneficial traits that underlie host adaptability. We further address how BaGTA may counter the accumulation of deleterious mutations in clonal populations (Muller's ratchet), which are expected to occur through the recurrent transmission bottlenecks during the complex infection cycle of these pathogens in their mammalian reservoir hosts and arthropod vectors.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Bartonella; Evolution, Molecular; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Host Microbial Interactions; Mutation; Recombination, Genetic; Replication Origin; Type IV Secretion Systems
PubMed: 31231937
DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13068 -
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection... 2018Bartonellosis is an infectious disease caused by species that are distributed worldwide with animal and public health impact varying according to species, infection... (Review)
Review
Bartonellosis is an infectious disease caused by species that are distributed worldwide with animal and public health impact varying according to species, infection phase, immunological characteristics, and geographical region. is widely present in various mammals including cats, rodents, ruminants, and humans. At least 13 species or subspecies are zoonotic. Each species has few reservoir animals in which it is often asymptomatic. infection may lead to various clinical symptoms in humans. As described in the -rat model, when 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 prevent phagocytosis and complement activation, what pathogenesis factors are involved in erythrocyte adhesion and invasion, and how could replicate and persist in mammalian erythrocytes. Current advances in research will help us to decipher molecular mechanisms of interactions between and mammalian erythrocytes and may help in the development of biological strategies for the prevention and control of bartonellosis.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Adhesion; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Cats; Endocytosis; Erythrocytes; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Immune Evasion; Rats
PubMed: 30619777
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00431 -
Parasites & Vectors Aug 2018Bats are among the most widely distributed mammals worldwide and can represent hosts or reservoirs for a number of different pathogens. Bartonella spp. are opportunistic... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Bats are among the most widely distributed mammals worldwide and can represent hosts or reservoirs for a number of different pathogens. Bartonella spp. are opportunistic bacterial pathogens, which are transmitted by a large variety of arthropods. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and host-associations of these Gram-negative bacteria in heart tissues of bats collected in four different countries from eastern and central Europe and to analyze their phylogenetic relationship with other bat-associated bartonellae.
RESULTS
The results of this study show for the first time the presence of Bartonella spp. DNA in heart tissues of bats from central and eastern Europe. The overall prevalence of the infection was 1.38%. Phylogenetic analysis identified four new Bartonella spp. sequences, which were closely related with other Bartonella previously isolated from bats in Europe and North America.
CONCLUSIONS
The gltA sequences of Bartonella spp. showed considerable heterogeneity in the phylogenetic analysis resulting in six different clades. Our study demonstrated the presence of Bartonella spp. only in heart tissues of bats from Romania, with two new bat species recorded as hosts (Myotis cf. alcathoe and Pipistrellus pipistrellus).
Topics: Animals; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Chiroptera; DNA, Bacterial; Disease Reservoirs; Europe; Europe, Eastern; Genetic Variation; Heart; Humans; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Romania
PubMed: 30157912
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3070-7 -
Cellular Microbiology Aug 2012The Gram-negative genus Bartonella comprises arthropod-borne pathogens that typically infect mammals in a host-specific manner. Bartonella bacilliformis and Bartonella... (Review)
Review
The Gram-negative genus Bartonella comprises arthropod-borne pathogens that typically infect mammals in a host-specific manner. Bartonella bacilliformis and Bartonella quintana are human-specific pathogens, while several zoonotic bartonellae specific for diverse animal hosts infect humans as an incidental host. Clinical manifestations of Bartonella infections range from mild symptoms to life-threatening disease. Following transmission by blood-sucking arthropods or traumatic contact with infected animals, bartonellae display sequential tropisms towards endothelial and possibly other nucleated cells and erythrocytes, the latter in a host-specific manner. Attachment to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and to nucleated cells is mediated by surface-exposed bacterial adhesins, in particular trimeric autotransporter adhesins (TAAs). The subsequent engulfment of the pathogen into a vacuolar structure follows a unique series of events whereby the pathogen avoids the endolysosomal compartments. For Bartonella henselae and assumingly most other species, the infection process is aided at different steps by Bartonella effector proteins (Beps). They are injected into host cells through the type IV secretion system (T4SS) VirB/D4 and subvert host cellular functions to favour pathogen uptake. Bacterial binding to erythrocytes is mediated by Trw, another T4SS, in a strictly host-specific manner, followed by pathogen-forced uptake involving the IalB invasin and subsequent replication and persistence within a membrane-bound intra-erythrocytic compartment.
Topics: Animals; Arthropod Vectors; Bacterial Adhesion; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Endothelium; Erythrocytes; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans
PubMed: 22519749
DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2012.01806.x -
Advances in Experimental Medicine and... 2011Adhesion to host cells represents the first step in the infection process and one of the decisive features in the pathogenicity of Bartonella spp. B. henselae and B.... (Review)
Review
Adhesion to host cells represents the first step in the infection process and one of the decisive features in the pathogenicity of Bartonella spp. B. henselae and B. quintana are considered to be the most important human pathogenic species, responsible for cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, trench fever and other diseases. The ability to cause vasculoproliferative disorders and intraerythrocytic bacteraemia are unique features of the genus Bartonella. Consequently, the interaction with endothelial cells and erythrocytes is a focus in Bartonella research. The genus harbours a variety of trimeric autotransporter adhesins (TAAs) such as the Bartonella adhesin A (BadA) of B. henselae and the variably expressed outer-membrane proteins (Vomps) of B. quintana, which display remarkable variations in length and modular construction. These adhesins mediate many of the biologically-important properties of Bartonella spp. such as adherence to endothelial cells and extracellular matrix proteins and induction of angiogenic gene programming. There is also significant evidence that the laterally acquired Trw-conjugation systems of Bartonella spp. mediate host-specific adherence to erythrocytes. Other potential adhesins are the filamentous haemagglutinins and several outer membrane proteins. The exact molecular functions of these adhesins and their interplay with other pathogenicity factors (e.g., the VirB/D4 type 4 secretion system) need to be analysed in detail to understand how these pathogens adapt to their mammalian hosts.
Topics: Adhesins, Bacterial; Angiomatosis, Bacillary; Animals; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Cat-Scratch Disease; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Peliosis Hepatis; Trench Fever; Virulence
PubMed: 21557057
DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-0940-9_4 -
Future Microbiology Nov 2010Bartonella species, which belong to the α-2 subgroup of Proteobacteria, are fastidious Gram-negative bacteria that are highly adapted to their mammalian host... (Review)
Review
Bartonella species, which belong to the α-2 subgroup of Proteobacteria, are fastidious Gram-negative bacteria that are highly adapted to their mammalian host reservoirs. Bartonella species are responsible for different clinical conditions affecting humans, including Carrion's disease, cat scratch disease, trench fever, bacillary angiomatosis, endocarditis and peliosis hepatis. While some of these diseases can resolve spontaneously without treatment, in other cases, the disease is fatal without antibiotic treatment. In this article, we discuss the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of Bartonella species, detected using several methods. We also provide an overview of Bartonella infection in humans and animals and discuss the antibiotic treatment recommendations for the different infections, treatment failure and the molecular mechanism of antibiotic resistance in these bacteria.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 21133691
DOI: 10.2217/fmb.10.133