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Revue Medicale de Liege Jul 2020We present three clinical cases to show the diversity of clinical presentations of Bartonella henselae infection, from classical adenopathy to disseminated form. It is...
We present three clinical cases to show the diversity of clinical presentations of Bartonella henselae infection, from classical adenopathy to disseminated form. It is an infection that leads to diagnostic wandering, due to a lack of explicit history and the variety of clinical manifestations. Antibiotic therapy is rarely necessary because it has a spontaneously favourable evolution in the majority of cases.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bartonella henselae; Cat-Scratch Disease; Humans
PubMed: 32779899
DOI: No ID Found -
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 -
Future Microbiology Aug 2009It has been nearly two decades since the discovery of Bartonella as an agent of bacillary angiomatosis in AIDS patients and persistent bacteremia and 'nonculturable'... (Review)
Review
It has been nearly two decades since the discovery of Bartonella as an agent of bacillary angiomatosis in AIDS patients and persistent bacteremia and 'nonculturable' endocarditis in homeless people. Since that time, the number of Bartonella species identified has increased from one to 24, and 10 of these bacteria are associated with human disease. Although Bartonella is the only genus that infects human erythrocytes and triggers pathological angiogenesis in the vascular bed, the group remains understudied compared with most other bacterial pathogens. Numerous questions regarding Bartonella's molecular pathogenesis and epidemiology remain unanswered. Virtually every mammal harbors one or more Bartonella species and their transmission typically involves a hematophagous arthropod vector. However, many details regarding epidemiology and the public health threat imposed by these animal reservoirs is unclear. A handful of studies have shown that bartonellae are highly-adapted pathogens whose parasitic strategy has evolved to cause persistent infections of the host. To this end, virulence attributes of Bartonella include the subversion of host cells with effector molecules delivered via a type IV secretion system, induction of pathological angiogenesis through various means, including inhibition of apoptosis and activation of hypoxia-inducing factor 1, use of afimbrial adhesins that are orthologs of Yersinia adhesin A, incorporation of lipopolysaccharides with low endotoxic potency in the outer membrane, and several other virulence factors that help Bartonella infect and persist in erythrocytes and endothelial cells of the host circulatory system.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Endothelial Cells; Erythrocytes; Humans; Models, Biological; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 19659429
DOI: 10.2217/fmb.09.41 -
Microbes and Infection 2018Intracellular bacteria, such as Chlamydiales, Anaplasma or Bartonella, need to persist inside their host in order to complete their developmental cycle and to infect new... (Review)
Review
Intracellular bacteria, such as Chlamydiales, Anaplasma or Bartonella, need to persist inside their host in order to complete their developmental cycle and to infect new hosts. In order to escape from the host immune system, intracellular bacteria have developed diverse mechanisms of persistence, which can directly impact the health of their host.
Topics: Anaplasma; Animals; Bacterial Proteins; Bartonella; Chlamydiales; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Immunomodulation
PubMed: 29162422
DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2017.11.002 -
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 -
Epidemiology and Infection Nov 2016Bartonellae are blood- and vector-borne Gram-negative bacteria, recognized as emerging pathogens. Whole-blood samples were collected from 58 free-ranging lions (Panthera...
Isolation of Bartonella henselae, Bartonella koehlerae subsp. koehlerae, Bartonella koehlerae subsp. bothieri and a new subspecies of B. koehlerae from free-ranging lions (Panthera leo) from South Africa, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) from Namibia and captive cheetahs from California.
Bartonellae are blood- and vector-borne Gram-negative bacteria, recognized as emerging pathogens. Whole-blood samples were collected from 58 free-ranging lions (Panthera leo) in South Africa and 17 cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) from Namibia. Blood samples were also collected from 11 cheetahs (more than once for some of them) at the San Diego Wildlife Safari Park. Bacteria were isolated from the blood of three (5%) lions, one (6%) Namibian cheetah and eight (73%) cheetahs from California. The lion Bartonella isolates were identified as B. henselae (two isolates) and B. koehlerae subsp. koehlerae. The Namibian cheetah strain was close but distinct from isolates from North American wild felids and clustered between B. henselae and B. koehlerae. It should be considered as a new subspecies of B. koehlerae. All the Californian semi-captive cheetah isolates were different from B. henselae or B. koehlerae subsp. koehlerae and from the Namibian cheetah isolate. They were also distinct from the strains isolated from Californian mountain lions (Felis concolor) and clustered with strains of B. koehlerae subsp. bothieri isolated from free-ranging bobcats (Lynx rufus) in California. Therefore, it is likely that these captive cheetahs became infected by an indigenous strain for which bobcats are the natural reservoir.
Topics: Acinonyx; Animals; Animals, Zoo; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Bartonella henselae; California; DNA, Bacterial; Female; Lions; Male; Namibia; Sequence Analysis, DNA; South Africa
PubMed: 27453220
DOI: 10.1017/S0950268816001394 -
Clinical Microbiology Reviews Jan 2018Carrion's disease (CD) is a neglected biphasic vector-borne illness related to . It is found in the Andean valleys and is transmitted mainly by members of the genus but... (Review)
Review
Carrion's disease (CD) is a neglected biphasic vector-borne illness related to . It is found in the Andean valleys and is transmitted mainly by members of the genus but also by blood transfusions and from mother to child. The acute phase, Oroya fever, presents severe anemia and fever. The lethality is high in the absence of adequate treatment, despite the organism being susceptible to most antibiotics. Partial immunity is developed after infection by , resulting in high numbers of asymptomatic carriers. Following infection there is the chronic phase, Peruvian warts, involving abnormal proliferation of the endothelial cells. Despite potentially being eradicable, CD has been expanded due to human migration and geographical expansion of the vector. Moreover, studies have demonstrated the risk of the development of antimicrobial resistance. These findings, together with the description of new species producing CD-like infections, the presence of undescribed potential vectors in new areas, the lack of adequate diagnostic tools and knowledge of the immunology and bacterial pathogenesis of CD, and poor international visibility, have led to the risk of increasing the potential expansion of resistant strains which will challenge current treatment schemes as well as the possible appearance of CD in areas where it is not endemic.
Topics: Animal Distribution; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Insect Vectors; Psychodidae
PubMed: 29187394
DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00056-17 -
Parasites & Vectors Jan 2020Bartonella is a genus of Gram-negative facultative intracellular Alphaproteobacteria of public health importance. Although they are known to mainly infect mammalian...
BACKGROUND
Bartonella is a genus of Gram-negative facultative intracellular Alphaproteobacteria of public health importance. Although they are known to mainly infect mammalian hosts with some blood-feeding arthropods having been confirmed as vectors, there is some evidence of Bartonella association with non-mammalian hosts including birds.
METHODS
Here we used high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and Sanger sequencing of the citrate synthase (gltA) genes to test for the presence of Bartonellaceae in the blood of three migratory cavity nesting bird species, purple martins (Progne subis), tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) and their most prevalent and abundant nest ectoparasites, Dermanyssus prognephilus (mite), Ceratophyllus idius (flea) and Protocalliphora sialia (bird blow fly larva). We constructed maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees to verify the placement of the resulting sequences in the Bartonellaceae.
RESULTS
We found evidence of Bartonella in all three bird species and all three arthropod species tested. We report multiple instances of identical Bartonella sequences in both birds and parasites, leading to the likely hypothesis that these ectoparasites are potential vectors of Bartonella. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that 'avian Bartonella' may form its own sub-clade within the genus Bartonella.
CONCLUSIONS
To the best of our knowledge, we provide the first confirmation of overlapping Bartonella strains among bird hosts and various species of nest-associated ectoparasites from the same system, suggesting a possible Bartonella host-vector relationship between these arthropods and a non-mammalian host. Our study adds to the growing appreciation of the Bartonellaceae as a phylogenetically diverse group with a wide range of hosts.
Topics: Animals; Arachnid Vectors; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Birds; Citrate (si)-Synthase; Diptera; Ectoparasitic Infestations; Genes, Bacterial; Insect Vectors; Metagenomics; Mites; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Siphonaptera
PubMed: 31924262
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-3896-7 -
Pathogens and Global Health May 2022Big cities of Argentina are characterized by a strong social and economic fragmentation. This context enables the presence of urban rodents in close contact to the human...
Big cities of Argentina are characterized by a strong social and economic fragmentation. This context enables the presence of urban rodents in close contact to the human population, mostly in the peripheral areas of the cities. Urban rodents can harbor a large variety of zoonotic pathogens. The aim of this study was to molecularly characterize spp. and spp. in urban rodents from the area of Gran La Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The species of urban rodents captured and tested were , and and were detected in and respectively. spp. DNA was not detected in any of the kidney samples tested. No significant differences were observed between the prevalence of bacteria and rodent and environmental variables such as host sex, presence of stream and season by Generalized Linear Model analysis. These results confirm the role of urban rodents as infection sources of spp., suggesting the need to implement public health measures to prevent the transmission of spp. and other zoonotic pathogens from rodents to humans. was not detected in this set of samples.
Topics: Animals; Argentina; Bartonella; Leptospira; Mice; Rats; Rodentia
PubMed: 34338622
DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2021.1959793 -
Journal of Vector Ecology : Journal of... Dec 2020The cat flea Ctenocephalides felis is the main vector of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, the causative agents of cat-scratch disease (CSD) and the...
The cat flea Ctenocephalides felis is the main vector of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, the causative agents of cat-scratch disease (CSD) and the spotted-fever agent Rickettsia felis. In spite of their worldwide distribution, there are no data on the occurrence of CSD-causing Bartonella species or the prevalence of Rickettsia species in the Canary Islands, Spain. Therefore, the aim of our study was to screen cat and dog fleas for both pathogens. A total of 128 C. felis from cats and dogs were screened for Bartonella and Rickettsia by PCR. Bartonella henselae (2.3%) and B. clarridgeiae (3.9%) were found in fleas infesting cats, whereas R. felis was identified in both cat (36.6%) and dog (40.7%) fleas. Further, co-infections were observed. This work constitutes the first finding of CSD-causing Bartonella species and the first study on the prevalence of R. felis in fleas from domestic animals in the Canary Islands. These results indicate public health importance, as associated infections could be misdiagnosed in the Archipelago despite their clinical relevance. Establishing human and animal routine diagnosis procedures for these pathogens along with improving vector control in shelters is necessary in order to prevent the spread of the infections among animals.
Topics: Animals; Bartonella; Bartonella henselae; Cats; Ctenocephalides; Dogs; Phylogeny; Rickettsia felis; Spain
PubMed: 33207065
DOI: 10.1111/jvec.12394