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Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2020 22;53:e20190516. Epub 2020 Jun 22.

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.

The differential diagnosis of optic neuritis is broad and varied. We report the case of a 24-year-old Brazilian man who presented with five-week history of fever, malaise, myalgia, severe fatigue, tender right preauricular lymphadenopathy, and acute vision blurring associated with right optic disc swelling and exudates in a macular star pattern. His illness developed soon after an infestation of fleas broke out among his cats. Read More

Acta Parasitol 2020 Jun 15. Epub 2020 Jun 15.

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Della Sardegna "G. Pegreffi", Sassari, Italy.

Purpose: In recent decades, the incidence and distribution of tick-borne diseases have increased worldwide, attracting the attention of both clinicians and veterinarians. In Sardinia, notifiable tick-borne diseases are spreading and Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) rickettsiosis continues to be endemic with an incidence of 10/10,000 inhabitants per year. Furthermore, ticks can transfer more than one pathogen after a single blood meal from a coinfected host or after multiple feeding on different infected hosts. Read More

J Vector Ecol 2020 Jun;45(1):32-44

Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, U.S.A.

The number of recognized flea-borne pathogens has increased over the past decade. However, the true number of infections related to all flea-borne pathogens remains unknown. To better understand the enzootic cycle of flea-borne pathogens, fleas were sampled from small mammals trapped in central Pennsylvania. Read More

Zoonoses Public Health 2020 May 25. Epub 2020 May 25.

National Research Center for Wildlife-Borne Diseases, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Commensal rats (Rattus spp.), which are globally distributed, harbour many pathogens responsible for significant human diseases. Despite this, we have a poor understanding of the epidemiology and genetic diversity of some recently neglected zoonotic pathogens, such as Leptospira spp. Read More

Pathogens 2020 May 19;9(5). Epub 2020 May 19.

Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Ticks are medically important vectors of infectious diseases that are able to transmit pathogens to humans and animals. Tick-borne diseases represent a major health concern, posing an increasing risk to the public health during the last century and affecting millions of people. The aim of the current study was to provide epidemiological data regarding the presence of certain tick-borne pathogens in ticks feeding on humans in Romania. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2020 May 19;20(1):357. Epub 2020 May 19.

Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Institut Pierre-Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Paris, France.

Background: We report a case of subdural empyema in a homeless patient caused by Bartonella quintana. B. quintana is a facultative intracellular bacteria for which bacterial growth is fastidious. Read More

J Community Health 2020 May 12. Epub 2020 May 12.

Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Studies, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, 1025 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA.

Background: Fever of unknown origin (FUO) remains an important public health problem. With malaria transmission declining in some parts of Africa, the evidence suggests other infectious agents now account for most FUO. The purpose of this study was to identify the etiologic agents of FUO in a cross-section of patients at the Mnazi Mmoja hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2020 May 4. Epub 2020 May 4.

Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, Marseille, France.

We sought to evidence the presence of emerging bacterial pathogens in clothes lice collected from sheltered homeless individuals from Marseille, France. During the 2013-2018 period, a total of 507 lice were collected from 37 individuals and were processed for molecular analysis. We reported a low prevalence of DNA carriage (1. Read More

Transplant Proc 2020 Apr 22. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Department of Dermatology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.

Introduction: Bacillary angiomatosis (BA) is a rare, opportunistic infectious disease caused by the aerobic Gram-negative bacilli Bartonella henselae or Bartonella quintana. The main reservoir for those microbes are cats. The disease mostly affects immunocompromised patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection, after organ transplantation, undergoing corticosteroid and methotrexate therapy or with oncological history. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 Apr 24;10(1):6975. Epub 2020 Apr 24.

Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Białystok, Żurawia 14, 15-540, Białystok, Poland.

Tick-borne diseases are a major threat to human and animal health. An increasing number of natural habitats have been transformed into urban areas by human activity; hence, the number of reported tick bites in urban and suburban areas has risen. This retrospective analysis evaluated 53 scientific reports concerning infections of Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from urban and suburban areas of Europe between 1991 and 2017. Read More

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2020 Apr 21. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, Marseille, France.

Homeless people are often exposed to unhygienic environments as well as to animals carrying arthropods which both transmit zoonotic infections and human louse-borne pathogens. We attempted to determine the prevalence of antibodies against several vector-borne and zoonotic pathogens among homeless adults living in Marseille. During the 2005-2015 period, we collected sera samples from 821 homeless adults living in shelters. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2020 Apr 21;13(1):116. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.

Background: Feline vector-borne pathogens (FeVBPs) have been increasingly investigated for their impact on cat health and their zoonotic potential. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of FeVBPs and haemoplasmas in cats across Italy and to identify potential risk factors linked to their occurrence.

Methods: Blood samples from 958 owned cats living in the North (n = 556), Centre (n = 173) and South (n = 229) of Italy were tested for Babesia spp. Read More

Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2020 Apr 19. Epub 2020 Apr 19.

Service des Maladies Infectieuses et Réanimation Médicale, Hôpital Pontchaillou, CHU Rennes, Rennes, France.

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020 04 17;14(4):e0008236. Epub 2020 Apr 17.

Program in Cellular, Molecular & Microbial Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America.

Bartonella are Gram-negative bacterial pathogens that trigger pathological angiogenesis during infection of humans. Bartonella bacilliformis (Bb) is a neglected tropical agent endemic to South America, where it causes Carrión's disease. Little is known about Bb's virulence determinants or how the pathogen elicits hyperproliferation of the vasculature, culminating in Peruvian warts (verruga peruana) of the skin. Read More

Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2020 Aug 28;12:1-7. Epub 2020 Mar 28.

Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.

Infectious diseases by pathogens, including those of zoonotic concern, may act as a primary or contributory cause of threat to wildlife conservation and may represent a risk for human health, mainly for people working at, or visiting the zoological parks. Given the paucity of data on pathogens infecting wild tigers, we investigated the occurrence of infectious agents in this animal species, with a special focus on those of zoonotic concern. Blood and serum samples from tigers (n = 20) living in a wildlife safari park of southern Italy were screened by serological and molecular tests. Read More

BMC Microbiol 2020 Apr 10;20(1):87. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.

Background: Bartonella henselae is a Gram-negative bacterium transmitted to humans by a scratch from cat in the presence of ectoparasites. Humans infected with B. henselae can result in various clinical diseases including local lymphadenopathy and more serious systemic disease such as persistent bacteremia and endocarditis. Read More

J Vet Res 2020 Mar 8;64(1):79-83. Epub 2020 Mar 8.

Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-612 Lublin, Poland.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence of spp. in cats in eastern Poland, and to determine the factors associated with the infection.

Material And Methods: PCRs were performed to detect DNA in the whole blood of 672 cats from four regions in eastern Poland (the Lublin, Podlasie, Masovian, and Subcarpathian provinces). Read More

Rev Med Chil 2019 Oct;147(10):1340-1345

Subdepartamento de Medicina, Hospital Base de Valdivia, Valdivia, Chile.

Infectious endocarditis (IE) by Bartonella species is an emerging problem worldwide. We report two cases of native valve Bartonella-associated IE events, both affecting adult male patients with a history of alcohol abuse and a low socioeconomic status. Admissions were due to pancytopenia and bleeding in one case and embolic stroke in the other. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2020 Apr;26(4):778-781

We detected 3 Bartonella species in wild rabbit fleas from Colorado, USA: B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (n = 16), B. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2020 Mar 12;20(1):216. Epub 2020 Mar 12.

Division of Bacterial Disease Research, Center for Infectious Disease Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea.

Background: Tick-borne lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA) is an infectious disease, mainly caused by species from the spotted fever group rickettsiae and is characterized by enlarged lymph nodes following a tick bite. Among cases of TIBOLA, a case of scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy after tick bite (SENLAT) is diagnosed when an eschar is present on the scalp, accompanied by peripheral lymphadenopathy (LAP). Only a few cases of SENLAT caused by Bartonella henselae have been reported. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2020 Mar 10. Epub 2020 Mar 10.

Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Vector-borne bacterial diseases represent a substantial public health burden and rodents have been recognized as important reservoir hosts for many zoonotic pathogens. This study investigates bacterial pathogens in a small mammal community of the southwestern United States of America. A total of 473 samples from 13 wild rodent and 1 lagomorph species were tested for pathogens of public health significance: , , , , spp. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2020 Jul 8;11(4):101410. Epub 2020 Mar 8.

Department of Neurology, Sørlandet Hospital Trust, Kristiansand, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. Electronic address:

The tick Ixodes ricinus is widespread along the coastline of southern Norway, but data on human exposure to tick-borne microbes are scarce. We aimed to assess the seroprevalence of IgG antibodies to various tick-borne microbes in the general adult population living in a Norwegian municipality where ticks are abundant. Søgne is a coastline municipality in the southernmost part of Norway, and has a high density of ticks. Read More

J Clin Microbiol 2020 Apr 23;58(5). Epub 2020 Apr 23.

Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée-Infection, Marseille, France

Q fever, caused by , is a worldwide zoonotic disease that may cause severe forms in humans and requires a specific and prolonged antibiotic treatment. Although current serological and molecular detection tools allow a reliable diagnosis of the disease, culture of strains is mandatory to assess their susceptibility to antibiotics and sequence their genome in order to optimize patient management and epidemiological studies. However, cultivating this fastidious microorganism is difficult and restricted to reference centers, as it requires biosafety level 3 laboratories and relies on cell culture performed by experienced technicians. Read More

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2020 Jun 18;70:101450. Epub 2020 Feb 18.

UMR BIPAR, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Anses, INRA, Université Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort, France. Electronic address:

Bartonella are blood-borne and vector-transmitted bacteria, some of which are zoonotic. B. bovis and B. Read More

Br J Ophthalmol 2020 Mar 2. Epub 2020 Mar 2.

NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK

Cat scratch disease (CSD) in humans is caused by infection with or other spp. The name of the disease reflects the fact that patients frequently have a history of contact (often involving bites or scratches) with infected cats. Patients with CSD typically develop lesions at the site where the skin is broken together with regional lymphadenopathy but may go on to exhibit systemic symptoms and with deep-seated infections at a range of sites including the eye. Read More

Cell Host Microbe 2020 03 25;27(3):476-485.e7. Epub 2020 Feb 25.

Biozentrum, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Chronically infecting pathogens avoid clearance by the innate immune system by promoting premature transition from an initial pro-inflammatory response toward an anti-inflammatory tissue-repair response. STAT3, a central regulator of inflammation, controls this transition and thus is targeted by numerous chronic pathogens. Here, we show that BepD, an effector of the chronic bacterial pathogen Bartonella henselae targeted to infected host cells, establishes an exceptional pathway for canonical STAT3 activation, thereby impairing secretion of pro-inflammatory TNF-α and stimulating secretion of anti-inflammatory IL-10. Read More

J Infect Dev Ctries 2019 11 30;13(11):978-983. Epub 2019 Nov 30.

Department of Microbiology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey.

Introduction: In addition to antibiotic treatment, slow-growing and non-cultivable bacteria can lead to false-negative results for sterile body site infections. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for such infections.

Methodology: Following routine culture procedures, 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) PCR was performed for samples collected from sterile body sites between July 2017and September 2018. Read More

Transbound Emerg Dis 2020 Feb 18. Epub 2020 Feb 18.

Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, Brazil.

Currently, five Bartonella species and an expanding number of Candidatus Bartonella species have globally been reported in ruminants. Likewise, different Bartonella genotypes were identified. However, studies relating to ruminant-associated Bartonella in Brazil are scarce. Read More

J Wildl Dis 2020 Feb 17. Epub 2020 Feb 17.

Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan.

Wild carnivores serve as reservoirs of several zoonotic species such as , subsp. , and . The raccoon dog () is the most common native carnivore in Japan, but epidemiologic studies of infections have not been performed in this animal species yet. Read More

Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2020 Jan 5;19:100361. Epub 2019 Dec 5.

Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CONICET-UNLP), Bv. 120 s/n e/ 60 y 64, 1900 La Plata, Argentina. Electronic address:

Molecular methods were used to detect and identify Bartonella species in the cat fleas Ctenocephalides felis felis from Puerto Iguazú, a border area in northeastern Argentina. The fleas were collected from 12 household animals, 9 dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and 3 cats (Felis silvestris catus) during July 2016. Out of 15C. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2020 Feb 3. Epub 2020 Feb 3.

Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School, Campinas, Brazil.

The inherent characteristics of the sickle cell disease (SCD), the most common genetic hematological disorder, increase the propensity of infections. spp. are emerging and neglected bacteria. Read More

Prague Med Rep 2019 ;120(4):131-137

Department of Medicine and Department of Neurology, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brasil.

The GBS/ATM overlap is characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and acute transverse myelitis (ATM), which are two neurological autoimmune disorders. In this context, cat scratch disease (CSD) was rarely reported combined with this overlap. An adult female presenting fever, back pain, inferior limb weakness, and anuria was admitted to our hospital. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2020 Jan 10;13(1):13. Epub 2020 Jan 10.

Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, North Campus, 109 Cooke Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA.

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). Read More

PLoS One 2020 10;15(1):e0227234. Epub 2020 Jan 10.

Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA), a locally invasive and highly metastatic endothelial cell neoplasm, accounts for two-thirds of all cardiac and splenic neoplasms in dogs. Bartonella spp. infection has been reported in association with neoplastic and non-neoplastic vasoproliferative lesions in animals and humans. Read More

Klin Mikrobiol Infekc Lek 2019 Sep;25(3):84-88

Department Infectious Diseases, University Hospital, Ostrava-Poruba, Czech Republic,

Objective: The diagnosis of Bartonella henselae by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in lymph nodes removed in 10 patients with serologically confirmed evidence cat-scratch disease.

Material And Methods: The 2015-2018 group consisted of 10 patients with serologically confirmed cat-scratch disease, all of them having positive IgG antibodies and 6 patients also positive IgM antibodies against B. henselae. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2020 Jan 3;13(1). Epub 2020 Jan 3.

Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Werribee, VIC, 3030, Australia.

Background: Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TTBP) are a major constraint to livestock production in Pakistan; despite a high prevalence of TTBPs, knowledge on the capacity of Pakistani ticks to carry pathogens and endosymbionts is limited. Furthermore, mixed infections with multiple microorganisms further complicate and limit the detection potential of traditional diagnostic methods. The present study investigated the tick-borne microorganisms in bovine ticks in Pakistan, employing a high-throughput microfluidic real-time PCR based technique. Read More

Microbiol Resour Announc 2020 Jan 2;9(1). Epub 2020 Jan 2.

Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany

is the biological agent of Carrion's disease, a vector-borne, life-threatening human bartonellosis restricted to South America. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of KC584 (ATCC 35686). Although it is commonly used as a reference strain, to date, its complete genome has not been published. Read More

Ann Agric Environ Med 2019 Dec 18;26(4):669-671. Epub 2019 Mar 18.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences, Lublin, Poland.

Bartonellosis is a disease affecting a variety of animals. Many Bartonella infections are zoonotic, including cat scratch disease. Within the genus Bartonella are 45 species, of which more than 10 can infect cats and dogs. Read More

Rev Chilena Infectol 2019 Aug;36(4):518-520

Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Chile.

Daniel Alcides Carrión (1857-1885) was a Peruvian medical student who established the relationship between the clinical entities called Oroya fever and Peruvian wart, until then independent diseases. By autoinoculation of Peruvian wart extracts from a patient, he contracted the Oroya fever. This fact showed that both clinical entities occurred due to the same cause. Read More

Infez Med 2019 12;27(4):441-444

Department of Hospital Medicine, Mount Carmel East Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.

Bartonella infection has been associated with culture negative endocarditis and in rare cases immune complex medicated rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN). Most of the previously reported cases of RPGN are associated with endocarditis. We report a case of RPGN with no endocarditis secondary to Bartonella infection. Read More

J Vet Cardiol 2020 Feb 16;27:1-9. Epub 2019 Nov 16.

Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. Electronic address:

Objectives: Bartonella infection has been associated with endocarditis in humans, dogs, cats and cattle. In order to evaluate the importance of this pathogen as a possible source of endocarditis in United States military working dogs (MWDs), we performed a retrospective case-control study on 26 dogs with histological diagnosis of culture negative endocarditis (n = 18), endomyocarditis (n = 5) or endocardiosis (n = 3) and 28 control dogs without any histological cardiac lesions.

Methods: DNA was extracted from paraffin embedded cardiac valves and tissues from case and control dogs and submitted to PCR testing with primers targeting the Bartonella gltA gene. Read More

Vet Q 2019 12;39(1):168-173

The Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.

Chest 2019 12;156(6):e121-e126

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY. Electronic address:

Case Presentation: A man in his 20s presented to the ED after several months of progressive dyspnea, dry cough, and night sweats. He had no chest pain, fevers, weight loss, or sick contacts. He was previously healthy and took no medications. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Dec 3;12(12). Epub 2019 Dec 3.

Internal Medicine H, Tel Aviv Ichilov-Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.

species are fastidious, Gram-negative aerobic rods and a well-recognised pathogen responsible for culture-negative endocarditis. The histopathological appearance of glomerulonephritis (GN) caused by endocarditis may include a pauci-immune GN similar to that usually seen in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis. Herein, we present an unusual case report of endocarditis masquerading as ANCA-positive vasculitis, with crescentic GN. Read More

Antibiotics (Basel) 2019 Nov 30;8(4). Epub 2019 Nov 30.

Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.

is a fastidious Gram-negative intracellular bacterium that can cause cat scratch disease, endocarditis in humans and animals, as well as other complications, leading to acute or chronic infections. The current treatment for infections is not very effective due to antibiotic resistance and also persistence. To develop better therapies for persistent and chronic infections, in this study, with the help of SYBR Green I/PI viability assay, we performed a high-throughput screening of an essential oil library against the stationary phase . Read More

Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica 2019 Jul-Sep;36(3):414-422. Epub 2019 Dec 2.

Laboratorio de Referencia Nacional de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular, Centro Nacional de Salud Publica, Instituto Nacional de Salud. Lima, Perú.

Objectives.: To design and assess a multiepitopic protein as a candidate for a vaccine against Carrion disease.

Materials And Methods. Read More