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Bartonella is a type of bacteria that is passed on to humans by animals and insects, such as ticks. These bacteria cause a dangerous disease in humans called bartonellosis. There are different types of bartonellosis, depending on the specific species of the genus Bartonella humans have been infected with.
Why are Bartonella bacteria dangerous?
Bacteria of the Bartonella family are pathogenic microorganisms and can cause serious ailments in people infected with them. People with weak or reduced immunity are particularly vulnerable. Caution should be exercised in particular by transplant patients, HIV-infected people, cancer patients, and patients undergoing treatment with immunosuppressants. However, people who are completely healthy can also get sick. Bartonella bacteria are transmitted by insects such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice and ticks, as well as by animals including domestic cats and dogs. Contact with an animal or an insect bite is always a potential source of infection with bartonellosis, which has many varieties, but is always severe and difficult to treat.
Types of bartonellosis
Bacteria of the Bartonella family cause various types of infections depending on their species. The following types of bartonellosis are distinguished:
- trench fever – it is an infectious zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Bartonella quintana, which is transmitted by human lice,
- cat scratch disease – it is a disease caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae or Bartonella ciarridgeidae, transmitted by cats that have been previously infected with fleas,
- Carrion’s disease – caused by Bartonella baciliformis bacteria, transmitted by mosquitoes,
- angiomatosis bacillaris – a disease caused by bacteria of the species Bartonella quintana or Bartonella henselae in people with reduced immunity, transmitted by insects and other animals, including domestic animals (cats).
Symptoms of bartonellosis
When Bartonella bacteria enter the human body, they circulate in the blood and spread for several days. Then they occupy the endothelial cells of blood vessels, and then enter the erythrocytes and multiply there. Depending on the species of Bartonella bacteria that have entered the body, the symptoms are as follows:
- in the case of cat scratch disease, a serous vesicle appears at the site of the scratch or bite, which turns into a scab. After 1-3 weeks, unilateral enlargement of the surrounding lymph nodes appears;
- in the first phase of Carrion’s disease, high fever and haemolytic anemia appear. Bartonella bacteria cause hemolysis, enlargement of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. If treatment is not taken in time, there is a high risk of the infected person dying. In the second (chronic) stage of this disease, hard nodules or warts appear on the head, neck and extremities – hence its name: Peruvian papillomatosis. This phase is no longer as dangerous as the first and, despite difficult treatment, it does not pose a threat to the patient’s life in most cases;
- Trench fever, also known as Volyn fever or five-day fever, causes recurrent fever that lasts from one to three days. An additional symptom is headache, dizziness and soreness in the shin (the part of the leg between the knee and the foot). The disease recurs every 4-6 days, and the intensity of its symptoms decreases with each relapse;
- in immunocompromised people, the so-called bacterial angioma appears, which is caused by the proliferation of endothelial cells of the blood vessels. Complications of bartonellosis Bartonella bacteria can also cause endocarditis, myocarditis, meningitis, hepatic purpura, and inflammation of the retina and optic nerve. These are diseases that are very dangerous to health and life.
Diagnosis of Bartonella infection
Whether a given disease is caused by an infection with Bartonella bacteria is determined on the basis of serological tests performed by enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) or immunofluorescence (IFA) methods. The presence of antibodies in the body to species of bacteria from the Bartonella family is tested. Molecular biology detects bacterial DNA in blood, tissues from the heart, skin, or liver.
How is bartonellosis treated?
Antibiotics such as tetracyclines, fluoroquinolines and rifampicin are used in the treatment of diseases caused by Bartonella bacteria.