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Sci Rep 2019 Feb 14;9(1):2117. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 1 Miecznikowa Street, 02-096, Warsaw, Poland.

The objective of our study was to estimate the seroprevalence of six pathogens transmitted by ticks in HIV-infected persons and blood donors in Poland (B. burgdorferi s.l. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019 28;9. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Neuroinflammation Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

There are 17 human-biting ticks known in Australia. The bites of , and can cause paralysis, inflammation, and severe local and systemic reactions in humans, respectively. Six ticks, including , and may transmit , or subsp. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

1 Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil.

We report a fatal case of Bartonella henselae bacteremic patient. He had negative serology and PCRs from whole blood and liquid culture; only ftsZ nested PCR was positive from the blood liquid culture. The isolate had positive PCRs. Read More

Ann Parasitol 2018 ;64(4):309-315

Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences, ul. Głęboka 30, 20-612 Lublin, Poland

Bartonellosis is a disease caused by Bartonella spp. microorganisms which belong to the Rickettsiales order. This disease is a zoonosis, B. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2019 Feb 1;12(1):69. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.

Background: Bartonella henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiae and the rare Bartonella koehlerae are zoonotic pathogens, with cats being regarded as the main reservoir hosts. The spread of the infection among cats occurs mainly via fleas and specific preventive measures need to be implemented. The effectiveness of a 10% imidacloprid/4. Read More

Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2019 Jan-Mar;22(1):102-103

Department of Neurology, Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Jalan Pahang, 50586 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Multiple co-infections can predispose a patient to autoimmune encephalitis. Out of thirty cases of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis seen at a single tertiary referral center, only two cases of co-infection with NMDAR encephalitis were identified. One of these cases was highly interesting due to the presence of more than one co-infections along with the presence of cortical dysfunction, seizures, and orofacial dyskinesias at the onset in a male in the absence of tumors, which was refractory to initial treatment. Read More

Front Vet Sci 2018 4;5:322. Epub 2019 Jan 4.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States.

Phylogenetic sister clades and within the order Rhizobiales present some common biological characteristics as well as evident differences in adaptations to their mammalian reservoirs. We reviewed published data on and infections in wild carnivores to compare the ecology of these bacteria in relatively similar host environments. Arthropod vectors are the main mechanism for species transmission between mammalian hosts. Read More

Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018 12;8:431. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

UMR BIPAR, INRA, ANSES, École Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne, Maisons-Alfort, France.

Bartonellosis is an infectious disease caused by species that are distributed worldwide with animal and public health impact varying according to species, infection phase, immunological characteristics, and geographical region. is widely present in various mammals including cats, rodents, ruminants, and humans. At least 13 species or subspecies are zoonotic. Read More

Front Microbiol 2018 20;9:3100. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

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

The deer ked () is distributed in Europe, North America, and Siberia and mainly infests cervids as roe deer, fallow deer, and moose. From a one health perspective, deer keds occasionally bite other animals or humans and are a potential vector for . This bacterium belongs to a lineage of ruminant-associated spp. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2019 Jan 7;12(1):11. Epub 2019 Jan 7.

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

Background: Arthropod-borne diseases remain a major health-threat for humans and animals worldwide. To estimate the distribution of pathogenic agents and especially Bartonella spp., we conducted tick microbiome analysis and determination of the infection status of wild animals, pets and pet owners in the state of Hesse, Germany. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2018 Dec 27. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

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

Historically, Bartonella spp. have been associated with febrile illness (Oroya fever, trench fever, and cat scratch disease), endocarditis (numerous Bartonella spp.), and vasoproliferative lesions (Bartonella bacilliformis, Bartonella quintana, Bartonella henselae, and Bartonella vinsonii subsp. Read More

Pediatr Blood Cancer 2018 Dec 17:e27573. Epub 2018 Dec 17.

Infectious Disease Research Program, Center for Bone Marrow Transplantation, Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Children's University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.

Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of cat-scratch disease, has been recognized to be responsible for a broad range of clinical syndromes. We report the case of a patient with disseminated B. henselae infection mimicking Langerhans cell histiocytosis at presentation and its successful management with neurosurgery, prolonged antibacterial therapy, and observation. Read More

Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2019 02 27;10(2):360-364. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University (NCSU), 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA. Electronic address:

The objective of this work was to determine the prevalence of Borrelia and Bartonella species in Ixodes spp. ticks collected from 16 USA states. Genus PCR amplification and sequence analysis of Bartonella and Borrelia 16SsRNA-23SsRNA intergenic regions were performed on DNA extracted from 929 questing adult ticks (671 Ixodes scapularis, 155 Ixodes affinis, and 103 Ixodes pacificus). Read More

Med Vet Entomol 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Service de Santé des Armées (SSA), Vecteurs-Infections Tropicales et Méditerranéennes (VITROME), Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire (IHU) Méditerranée Infection, Aix Marseille University, Marseille, France.

Flea identification is a significant issue because some species are considered as important vectors of several human pathogens that have emerged or re-emerged recently, such as Bartonella henselae (Rhizobiales: Bartonellaceae) and Rickettsia felis (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae). Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been evaluated in recent years for the identification of multicellular organisms, including arthropods. A preliminary study corroborated the usefulness of this technique for the rapid identification of fleas, creating a preliminary database containing the spectra of five species of flea. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Dec 4;11(1):624. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain.

Bartonellosis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution that can infect humans and a large number of mammals including small companion animals (cats and dogs). In recent years, an increasing number of studies from around the world have reported Bartonella infections, although publications have predominantly focused on the North American perspective. Currently, clinico-pathological data from Europe are more limited, suggesting that bartonellosis may be an infrequent or underdiagnosed infectious disease in cats and dogs. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2018 Dec 4;18(1):618. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

School of Medicine. Faculty of Health Sciences. Research and Innovation Centre of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru.

Background: Acute febrile illness (AFI) represent a significant health challenge in the Peruvian Amazon basin population due to their diverse etiologies and the unavailability of specific on-site diagnostic methods, resulting in underreporting of cases. In Peru, one of the most endemic regions to dengue and leptospirosis is Madre de Dios, a region also endemic to emergent bacterial etiologic agents of AFI, such as bartonellosis and rickettsiosis, whose prevalence is usually underreported. We aimed to molecularly identify the presence of Leptospira spp. Read More

Emerg Infect Dis 2018 Dec;24(12):2317-2323

Twice a year in southwestern Nigeria, during a traditional bat festival, community participants enter designated caves to capture bats, which are then consumed for food or traded. We investigated the presence of Bartonella species in Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and bat flies (Eucampsipoda africana) from these caves and assessed whether Bartonella infections had occurred in persons from the surrounding communities. Our results indicate that these bats and flies harbor Bartonella strains, which multilocus sequence typing indicated probably represent a novel Bartonella species, proposed as Bartonella rousetti. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 11 15;12(11):e0006865. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America.

As humans move and alter habitats, they change the disease risk for themselves, their commensal animals and wildlife. Bartonella bacteria are prevalent in mammals and cause numerous human infections. Understanding how this genus has evolved and switched hosts in the past can reveal how current patterns were established and identify potential mechanisms for future cross-species transmission. Read More

Korean J Parasitol 2018 Oct 31;56(5):521-525. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

International Development Group, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Rodents are well-known reservoirs and vectors of many emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, but little is known about their role in zoonotic disease transmission in Bhutan. In this study, a cross-sectional investigation of zoonotic disease pathogens in rodents was performed in Chukha district, Bhutan, where a high incidence of scrub typhus and cases of acute undifferentiated febrile illness had been reported in people during the preceding 4-6 months. Twelve rodents were trapped alive using wire-mesh traps. Read More

J Vet Intern Med 2018 Nov 31;32(6):1983-1988. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

From the Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Background: Neurobartonellosis occurs in people. The role these organisms might play in inflammatory brain disease of dogs is unclear.

Hypothesis/objectives: That Bartonella spp. Read More

N Engl J Med 2018 Nov;379(18):e31

Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018 11 29;115(46):11790-11795. Epub 2018 Oct 29.

Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, The Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel;

Blood-sucking phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) transmit leishmaniasis as well as arboviral diseases and bartonellosis. Sand fly females become infected with parasites and transmit them while imbibing vertebrates' blood, required as a source of protein for maturation of eggs. In addition, both females and males consume plant-derived sugar meals as a source of energy. Read More

Mol Ecol 2018 Dec 4;27(23):4787-4807. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.

Based on molecular data, previous studies have suggested a high overall diversity and co-infection rates of Bartonella bacteria in wild rodents and their fleas. However, partial genetic characterization of uncultured co-infecting bacteria limited sound conclusions concerning intra- and inter-specific diversity of the circulating Bartonella. To overcome this limitation, Bartonella infections of wild populations of two sympatric gerbil species and their fleas were explored by multiple isolations of Bartonella organisms. Read More

APMIS 2018 Nov;126(11):831-837

Independent Researcher, Barcelona, Spain.

During World War I, a mysterious new disease affected soldiers on both sides of battle field. The first reports described a relapsing fever of unknown origin with body lice being suggested as the vector. The outbreak affected >1 000 000 people, mostly soldiers fighting in front-line trenches. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2018 Oct 17. Epub 2018 Oct 17.

1 Department of Internal Medicine and Inha University School of Medicine , Incheon, Republic of Korea.

Background: Bites with tick-borne pathogens can cause various bacterial, viral, or parasitic diseases in humans. Tick-transmitted diseases are known as contributing factors to the increasing incidence and burden of diseases. The present article investigated the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in South Korea. Read More

Vet Dermatol 2018 Dec 14;29(6):537-e180. Epub 2018 Oct 14.

Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1050 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA.

Background: Bartonella henselae, a Gram-negative, zoonotic, alpha-proteobacteria has been previously implicated in association with cutaneous vasoproliferative lesions (bacillary angiomatosis), nodular panniculitis and multifocal erythema (erythema multiforme) in dogs.

Objective: Describe clinical, microbiological and histological lesions in a dog with ear margin vasculitis and B. henselae infection. Read More

J Vet Intern Med 2018 Nov 11;32(6):1958-1964. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Department of Clinical Sciences and the Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Background: Because of poor sensitivity and questionable specificity of immunofluorescent antibody assays (IFAs), serological diagnosis of Bartonella species infections in dogs remains challenging. Despite limitations, IFA testing is the historical "gold standard" for Bartonella serodiagnosis in animals and humans. Because most diagnostic laboratories test against only 1 or 2 Bartonella spp. Read More

Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2019 Feb 29;19(2):102-105. Epub 2018 Sep 29.

4 Laboratory Applied Research in Dermatology and Bartonella Infection, Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) , Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil .

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most prevalent hematologic genetic disorder. Acute vaso-occlusive painful crisis is the hallmark of the disease and may be related to subclinical infections. Bartonellosis, a rare and neglected infection, is caused by Bartonella spp. Read More

PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018 09 27;12(9):e0006786. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America.

Bartonella spp. are globally distributed bacteria that cause endocarditis in humans and domestic animals. Recent work has suggested bats as zoonotic reservoirs of some human Bartonella infections; however, the ecological and spatiotemporal patterns of infection in bats remain largely unknown. Read More

J Clin Microbiol 2018 Dec 27;56(12). Epub 2018 Nov 27.

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

causes cat scratch disease and several other clinical entities. Infections with are frequently occurring; however, the infection is only rarely diagnosed, mainly due to a lack of knowledge in the medical community. Microscopic immunofluorescence assays (IFA) are widely used for the serodiagnosis of infections but are laborious and time-consuming, and interpretation is subjective. Read More

Med Microbiol Immunol 2019 Feb 24;208(1):101-107. Epub 2018 Sep 24.

Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Comparative Medicine Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Dr., Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA.

The genus Bartonella consists of globally distributed and highly diverse alpha-proteobacteria that infect a wide-range of mammals. Medically, Bartonella spp. constitute emerging, vector-borne, zoonotic, intravascular organisms that induce long-lasting bacteremia in reservoir-adapted (passive carrier of a microorganism) hosts. Read More

Parasitology 2018 Sep 24:1-10. Epub 2018 Sep 24.

Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos,IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13071, Ciudad Real,Spain.

Diseases and host dynamics are linked, but their associations may vary in strength, be time-lagged, and depend on environmental influences. Where a vector is involved in disease transmission, its dynamics are an additional influence, and we often lack a general understanding on how diseases, hosts and vectors interact. We report on the occurrence of six zoonotic arthropod-borne pathogens (Anaplasma, Bartonella, Borrelia, Coxiella, Francisella and Rickettsia) in common voles (Microtus arvalis) throughout a population fluctuation and how their prevalence varies according to host density, seasonality and vector prevalence. Read More

Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2018 Jun 29;58:26-30. Epub 2018 Jun 29.

Vytautas Magnus University, Vileikos str. 8, LT-44404 Kaunas, Lithuania. Electronic address:

Bartonella bacteria are arthropod-borne and can cause long-term bacteremia in humans and animals. The predominant arthropod vectors and the mode of transmission for many novel Bartonella species remain elusive or essentially unstudied. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Bartonella spp. Read More

Res Microbiol 2019 Jan - Feb;170(1):60-64. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

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

Bartonellosis is an emerging serious diseases of zoonotic relevance caused by an expanding number of recently discovered species of Bartonella. Many studies use partial gltA gene sequencing as the method of choice for species attribution, and a plethora of studies have utilized only this gene to describe Bartonella diversity. We observe a lack of correspondence between the phylogenies constructed using the complete gltA gene sequences and the small gene fragment usually used in phylogenetic analyzes. Read More

BMC Vet Res 2018 Sep 10;14(1):279. Epub 2018 Sep 10.

Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Pavilhão Helio e Peggy Pereira, 1 Pavimento, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Avenida Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Background: The role of bats as reservoirs of zoonotic agents, especially pathogenic bacteria such as Bartonella and Coxiella, has been discussed around the world. Recent studies have identified bats as potential hosts of species from the proteobacteria phylum. In Brazil, however, the role of bats in the natural cycle of these agents is poorly investigated and generally neglected. Read More

Microb Ecol 2018 Sep 8. Epub 2018 Sep 8.

Department of Animal Morphology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznan, Poland.

The original version of this article published online (27 August 2018) unfortunately contained a mistake regarding an affiliation of Dr. Edyta Podsiadły, one of the authors. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Aug 30;11(1):491. Epub 2018 Aug 30.

Department of Parasitology, Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 1 Miecznikowa Street, 02-096, Warsaw, Poland.

Background: Bartonella spp. cause persistent bacterial infections in mammals. Although these bacteria are transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods, there is also evidence for vertical transmission in their mammalian hosts. Read More

Parasit Vectors 2018 Aug 29;11(1):489. Epub 2018 Aug 29.

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

Background: Bats are among the most widely distributed mammals worldwide and can represent hosts or reservoirs for a number of different pathogens. Bartonella spp. are opportunistic bacterial pathogens, which are transmitted by a large variety of arthropods. Read More

Microb Ecol 2018 Aug 27. Epub 2018 Aug 27.

Department of Animal Morphology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznan, Poland.

Hematophagous Spinturnix myoti mites and their host, the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis), were tested for the presence of Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Read More

Curr Opin Ophthalmol 2018 Nov;29(6):514-519

Department of Ophthalmology, Edward Harkness Eye Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.

Purpose Of Review: Neuroretinitis is an inflammatory disorder of the eye presenting with optic disc edema and the delayed development of a macular star secondary to optic nerve swelling toward the macular structures. Neuroretinitis can be divided into idiopathic, infectious (including neuroretinitis associated with cat scratch disease) and recurrent.

Recent Findings: The clinical presentation of neuroretinitis includes impaired visual acuity, dyschromatopsia, relative afferent pupillary defects and visual field abnormalities - particularly cecocentral and central scotomas. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Aug;97(34):e11881

Department of Infectious Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul.

Coxiella burnetii is a common cause of blood culture-negative infective endocarditis (IE). Molecular detection of C burnetii DNA in clinical specimens is a promising method of diagnosing Q fever endocarditis. Here, we examined the diagnostic utility of Q fever polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of formalin-fixed heart valve tissue from patients with blood culture-negative IE who underwent heart valve surgery. Read More

Front Vet Sci 2018 24;5:166. Epub 2018 Jul 24.

Laboratory of Molecular Environmental Microbiology, Department of Environmental Sciences and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.

Diseases caused by bacterial infections in small-scale and industrial livestock are becoming serious global health concern in veterinary science. Zoonotic bacteria, including , and species, that infect animals and humans cause various illnesses, such as fever, diarrhea, and related complications. Bacterial diseases in animals can be treated with various classes of antibiotics, including fluoroquinolones, beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, and macrolides. Read More

Curr Opin Ophthalmol 2018 Nov;29(6):582-587

Emory Eye Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Purpose Of Review: To review the systemic and ocular complications of Bartonella spp. infections specifically cat scratch disease, encompassing epidemiology, laboratory diagnostics, ophthalmic imagining, and treatment.

Recent Findings: Recent studies have shown that ocular manifestations occur in approximately 4. Read More

Paediatr Int Child Health 2018 Aug 10:1-4. Epub 2018 Aug 10.

a Paediatric Unit , Hôpital Jacques Monod , Le Havre , France.

Bone infections in cat-scratch disease (CSD) are uncommon and the diagnosis can be missed. A 3-year-old boy with multifocal pelvic osteomyelitis caused by Bartonella henselae is reported. Serological tests were negative but DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction assay of a lymph node. Read More

Vet Microbiol 2018 Aug 25;222:69-74. Epub 2018 Jun 25.

Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico.

Bartonella spp. have been identified in many bat species worldwide, including the zoonotic species, Candidatus Bartonella mayotimonensis. The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) preys preferentially on livestock in Latin America and is frequently infected with Bartonella spp. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2018 Aug 2;19:906-911. Epub 2018 Aug 2.

Department of Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.

BACKGROUND Bartonella infection is the causative organism of cat-scratch disease (CSD), which typically presents with self-limited localized lymphadenopathy. In HIV-infected patients, Bartonella infection can cause systemic illnesses with significant morbidity and mortality manifesting as bacillary angiomatosis (BA), hepatic peliosis, splenitis, bacteremic febrile illness, and other organ involvement. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports of HIV-infected patients presenting with generalized lymphadenopathy caused by Bartonella infection. Read More

Front Psychiatry 2018 13;9:314. Epub 2018 Jul 13.

National Reference Laboratory for Lyme Disease, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czechia.

Several recent studies have demonstrated the association of cat-related injuries with major depression and with depressiveness in the general population. It was suggested that cat-scratch disease, the infection with the bacterium , can be responsible for the observed association. However, no direct evidence for the role of the infection in this association has been published until now. Read More

J Comp Pathol 2018 Jul 4;162:29-42. Epub 2018 Jul 4.

Department of Cardiology, The Animal Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.

Endomyocarditis is a commonly detected post-mortem finding in domestic cats presenting for sudden onset cardiovascular death, yet the aetiology remains unresolved. Cats are documented reservoir hosts for Bartonella henselae, the infectious cause of cat scratch disease in man. Various Bartonella spp. Read More

Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2018 Jul 19;60:e31. Epub 2018 Jul 19.

Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The increasing use of illicit drugs imposes a public health challenge worldwide. People who inject drugs (PWID) are more susceptible to health complications due to immunosuppression associated with drug use and non-hygienic self-administration of substances, contaminants, and liquids. PWID are subjected to increased risk of acquiring and transmitting different pathogens (frequently functioning as sentinel cases for (re)emerging pathogens), including those transmitted by arthropods and vertebrate reservoirs in unhealthy environments. Read More

J Pediatr 2018 10 2;201:274-280.e12. Epub 2018 Jul 2.

Pediatrics, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH; The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH.

We identified 13 patients with cat scratch (Bartonella henselae) bone infection among those admitted to a large tertiary care children's hospital over a 12-year period. The median age was 7 years and the median time from onset of illness to diagnosis was 10 days. Multifocal osteomyelitis involving spine and pelvis was common; no patient had a lytic bone lesion. Read More