Bartonellosis, One Health and all creatures great and small

Abstract

Background Bartonellosis is a zoonotic infectious disease of worldwide distribution, caused by an expanding number of recently discovered Bartonella spp. Objectives This review serves as an update on comparative medical aspects of this disease, including the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis, treatment and challenges. Results Of comparative medical importance, Bartonella spp. are transmitted by several arthropod vectors, including fleas, keds, lice, sand flies, ticks and, potentially, mites and spiders. Prior to 1990, there was only one named Bartonella species (B. bacilliformis), whereas there are now over 36, of which 17 have been associated with an expanding spectrum of animal and human diseases. Recent advances in diagnostic techniques have facilitated documentation of chronic bloodstream and dermatological infections with Bartonella spp. in healthy and sick animals, in human blood donors, and in immunocompetent and immunocompromised human patients. The field of Bartonella research remains in its infancy and is rich in questions, for which patient relevant answers are badly needed. Directed Bartonella research could substantially reduce a spectrum of chronic and debilitating animal and human diseases, and thereby reduce suffering throughout the world. Conclusion A One Health approach to this emerging infectious disease is clearly needed to define disease manifestations, to establish the comparative infectious disease pathogenesis of this stealth pathogen, to validate effective treatment regimens and to prevent zoonotic disease transmission.

Bartonella infections in three species of Microtus: prevalence and genetic diversity, vertical transmission and the effect of concurrent Babesia microti infection on its success

“…Although B. rochalimae is believed to infect rodents [2, 7], our phylogenetic analysis clearly showed that together with a Bartonella sequence obtained from a bank vole from France ([6]; a sequence that was very close to ours but not totally identical) our sequences formed a sister branch to B. rochalimae isolates from dogs/humans. Buffet et al [6] proposed a new species name for this genotype, “ Bartonella senartensis ”, but the full description of this species has not yet been completed.…”

“…Infection may contribute to the development of an important vector-borne disease: bartonellosis [1, 2]. Of the 36 named and about 20 “ Candidatus ” species, 17 are recognized as causes of increasing numbers of human and animal bartonellosis cases [2].…”

“…Infection may contribute to the development of an important vector-borne disease: bartonellosis [1, 2]. Of the 36 named and about 20 “ Candidatus ” species, 17 are recognized as causes of increasing numbers of human and animal bartonellosis cases [2]. Because bartonellosis is characterized by persistent intravascular infection, serious disease syndromes may develop, including endocarditis, myocarditis and a range of vascular pathologies [2].…”

“…Of the 36 named and about 20 “ Candidatus ” species, 17 are recognized as causes of increasing numbers of human and animal bartonellosis cases [2]. Because bartonellosis is characterized by persistent intravascular infection, serious disease syndromes may develop, including endocarditis, myocarditis and a range of vascular pathologies [2]. During the last ten years, the number of confirmed Bartonella -derived endocarditis cases diagnosed in humans has increased, attributable in some measure to the increasing awareness of these bacteria by medical practitioners [3, 4].…”

“…and genotypes have been described to date [5, 7, 22] and this number is constantly increasing. Although these bacteria are transmitted by a range of blood-feeding arthropods, fleas are considered to be the main vectors among rodents [2, 7, 12, 23–26]. …”