What does Bartonella Bacilliformis cause?
Diseases in humans that have been identified to be caused by one of the Bartonella spp include cat scratch disease, Carrion’s disease, and trench fever. Cat scratch disease (CSD): CSD, caused by Bartonella henselae (B. henselae), is an infectious disease with symptoms that can vary from mild to severe.
What is carrion’s disease?
Carrion’s disease is a vector-borne biphasic illness restricted to the South American Andes including Peru, Ecuador and Colombia and is endemic in Andean valleys at an altitude of 600–3200 m above sea level; it has also been described in the coastal areas of Guayas and Manabi in Ecuador [1, 2].
Is Bartonella a parasite?
Bartonella are intracellular parasites that generally show preference for red blood cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells. The evidence for ticks as vectors of Bartonella organisms is circumstantial but fairly strong.
Can mosquitoes transmit Bartonella?
Bartonella species are transmitted by vectors such as ticks, fleas, sand flies, and mosquitoes.
What are the neurological symptoms of Bartonella infection?
Fatigue, insomnia, memory loss and/or disorientation, blurred vision and loss of coordination, headaches, and depression were the most commonly reported symptoms (Table 1). Seizures, severe paresis, and debilitating migraines were the predominant neurological abnormalities in patients 1, 5, and 6, respectively.
Can fleas carry Bartonella?
Cats can be infested with infected fleas that carry Bartonella bacteria. These bacteria can be transmitted from a cat to a person during a scratch. Some evidence suggests that CSD may be spread directly to people by the bite of infected cat fleas, although this has not been proven.
Is Bartonella life threatening?
Bartonellosis can range from severe life-threatening illnesses (myocarditis, endocarditis, vasculitis) to chronic intermittent and often relapsing symptoms listed above. It is possible that some individuals may become infected and not develop disease.
What does Bartonella do to the brain?
We detected infection with a Bartonella species (B. henselae or B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii) in blood samples from six immunocompetent patients who presented with a chronic neurological or neurocognitive syndrome including seizures, ataxia, memory loss, and/or tremors.