All Posts Tagged With: "Bartonella henselae"

Linda’s comment; Historically, flea-borne diseases are among the most important medical diseases of humans. Plague and murine typhus are known for centuries while the last years brought some new flea-transmitted pathogens, like R. felis and Bartonella henselae.

Excerpt:

ABSTRACT: Historically, flea-borne diseases are among the most important
medical diseases of humans. Plague and murine typhus are known for
centuries while the last years brought some new flea-transmitted
pathogens, like R. felis and Bartonella henselae.

inda’s comments:  How many folks own cats and don’t have a clue that they can get Cat Scratch Disease from their beloved pet?  There are many people who use their pets as their comfort and company, but have no idea how sick they can get from them.  It is becoming more dangerous for those who sleep with their pets, let pets eat off their plates and lick their face.

Link: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=21282991&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

RESULTS:: The histological studies, electron microscopy, and the PCR
analysis confirmed the identification of the bacilli within the involved
tissues. Furthermore, molecular diagnosis by PCR allowed for speciation of
the infecting Bartonella organisms in 6 of the 8 cases and correlated with
the histological findings.

CONCLUSIONS:: The PCR-based
identification of Bartonella correlated well with the results of light
microscopy and TEM and provided a simple and rapid method of diagnosis to
the species level. The molecular analysis may prove to be beneficial in
enhancing the current diagnostic techniques for CSD and bacillary
angiomatosis.

Excerpt:

Cat-scratch disease resulting from Bartonella henselae infection
is usually a benign, self-limited process in immunocompetent
children. Even the rare cases associated with neurologic
manifestations are not generally fatal. We report a case of a
previously healthy 6-year-old boy with cat-scratch disease,
systemic dissemination, and encephalitis that led to his death.
Autopsy revealed perivascular lymphocytic infiltrates and
microglial nodules in the brain. To our knowledge, this finding
has not been previously reported in B. henselae infection,
possibly because of the paucity of material available for
complete neuropathologic evaluation. This case illustrates the
extreme severity of the spectrum with which cat-scratch disease
can present and provides evidence of brain histopathology that
may be representative of the disease.

Excerpt:

Abstract

Introduction: Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of the illness referred to as cat scratch disease, is a common infection, particularly in children, and clinicians need to be aware of its potential transmission to humans by arthropod vectors such as fleas and ticks in addition to animal bites and scratches. The absence of a vertebrate bite or scratch does not preclude infection with B. henselae.

Materials and Methods: Literature regarding arthropod transmission of B. henselae was reviewed.

Results: B. henselae appears to be transmitted among cats and dogs in vivo exclusively by arthropod vectors (excepting perinatal transmission), not by biting and scratching. In the absence of these vectors disease does not spread. On the other hand, disease can be spread to humans by bites and scratches, and it is highly likely that it is spread as well by arthropod vectors.

Discussion: Clinicians should be aware that a common illness, infection with B. henselae, can be transmitted by arthropod vectors and a history of an animal scratch or bite is not necessary for disease transmission.

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20823366&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

RESULTS: B. henselae and related
bacterial species are transmitted among cats and dogs by
arthropod vectors. In the absence of these vectors, disease does
not spread amongst the animals. On the other hand, disease can be
spread to humans by bite and scratch as well as by arthropod
vectors. Animals commonly infected with B. henselae and arthropod
vectors are discussed. 
CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware that a common illness,
cat scratch disease, can be transmitted by arthropod vectors and
a history of an animal scratch or bite is not necessary for
disease transmission.

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20392912&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks

Excerpt:

Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Center for
Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, College of
Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
(E.B. Breitschwerdt, R.G. Maggi, P. E. Mascarelli), and the
Department of Pathology, North Shore University Hospital, 300
Community Drive, Manhasset, New York (P. Farmer).

Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, Bartonella henselae or DNA
of both organisms was amplified and sequenced from blood,
enrichment blood cultures or autopsy tissues from four family
members. Historical and microbiological results support perinatal
transmission of Bartonella species in this family.

Excerpt:

Here we report the first comprehensive study of B. henselae gene
expression during infection of human endothelial cells.
Expression of the main cluster of up-regulated genes, comprising
the VirB Type IV secretion system and its secreted protein
substrates, is shown to be under the positive control of the
transcriptional regulator BatR. We demonstrate binding of BatR to
the promoters of the virB operon and a substrate-encoding gene,
and provide biochemical evidence that BatR and BatS constitute a
functional two component regulatory system. Moreover, in contrast
to the acid-inducible (pH5.5) homolog ChvG/ChvI of Agrobacterium
tumefaciens, BatR/BatS is optimally activated at the
physiological pH of blood (pH7.4). By conservation analysis of
the BatR regulon, we show that BatR/BatS is uniquely adapted to
up-regulate a genus-specific virulence regulon during hemotropic
infection in mammals. Thus we propose that BatR/BatS
two-component system homologs represent vertically inherited pH
sensors that control the expression of horizontally transmitted
gene sets critical for the diverse host-associated life-styles of
the alpha-proteobacteria.

Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pu
bmed&id=20148999&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks
PMID: 20148999

Excerpt:

Summary Cat scratch disease is the most common zoonotic infection
caused by Bartonella bacteria. Among the many mammals infected
with Bartonella spp., cats represent a large reservoir for human
infection, as they are the main reservoir for Bartonella
henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiae and Bartonella koehlerae.
Bartonella spp. are vector-borne bacteria, and transmission of B.
henselae by cat fleas occurs mainly through infected flea faeces,
although new potential vectors (ticks and biting flies) have been
identified. Dogs are also infected with various Bartonella
species and share with humans many of the clinical signs induced
by these infections. Although the role of dogs as source of human
infection is not yet clearly established, they represent
epidemiological sentinels for human exposure. Present knowledge
on the aetiology, clinical features and epidemiological
characteristics of bartonellosis is presented.