By Linda on May 27, 2010 in Infections | comments(0)
Excerpt:
A gram-negative, rod-shaped microorganism was detected in a
69-year-old man suffering from chronic back pain but otherwise
exhibiting no signs of infection.
The bacterium could not be identified using any routine
diagnostic modality. A research use only application utilizing
PCR and Mass Spectrometry was performed on nucleic acid extracted
from the tissue sample. These studies resulted in the implication
of Bartonella quintana as the underlying cause of the infection.
B.
quintana is not a well-known cause of an abdominal aortic mycotic
aneurysm. This article will discuss the B. quintana infection,
its diagnosis and treatment, and reinforce the potential of B.
quintana as a possible etiology in mycotic aneurysms that show no
apparent indications of infection. It will also explore the
potential use of polymerase chain reaction detected by
electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) to help
identify B. quintana in a situation where other conventional
methods prove non-informative.
By Linda on May 20, 2010 in Infections | comments(0)
Full article: http://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&id=20220787&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks
Excerpt:
At least 12 species in the genus Bartonella are zoonotic pathogens that may be
transmitted among mammalian hosts by fleas or other arthropods. Apparent host
specificity by some Bartonella species to mammalian hosts has been observed, and
the detection of multiple Bartonella species in mammalian fleas suggests that
fleas take bloodmeals from a variety of host species. However, many flea species
are observed to parasitize a narrow host range. Therefore, we suspect that fleas
may acquire Bartonella by a mechanism other than ingesting infectious blood. We
found that detection of multiple Bartonella genotypes and species is apparently
common in fleas and that the majority of fleas tested (5/9) carried Bartonella
species atypical of their hosts. We also detected Bartonella DNA in flea
reproductive tissues, suggesting that vertical transmission of this organism in
vectors is possible, potentially leading to the accumulation of Bartonella
diversity over time within fleas.The ISME Journal advance online publication, 11
March 2010; doi:10.1038/ismej.2010.22.
By Linda on May 18, 2010 in Infections | comments(0)
Full article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18621561
Excerpt:
The number of known Bartonella species is rapidly growing. Some of them are responsible for distinct infectious diseases and show different prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility profiles. Not only have some vectors of Bartonella not been fully characterized, but also intermediate hosts are actually much more numerous and diverse than previously thought. Among these, dogs differ from cats because they tend to suffer an overt disease similar to humans, thus providing the base for a useful animal indicator and research model. Among the debilitating conditions with an unclear impact on the course of these infections, specific conditions (e.g., homelessness, alcoholism) have been linked to a much higher prevalence and to high risk of unfavorable outcome. Due to the limited arsenal of antibiotics effective in vivo on this peculiar intracellular pathogen, the risk/benefit balance of antibiotic therapy is sometimes difficult to draw. In this evolving picture, the recent discoveries of new species highlights the importance of basic molecular biology resources that would bring major public health benefits if available in endemic areas, and specifically in many areas of Peru and Bolivia.
