Bartonella clarridgeiae 73

Bartonella spp are the causative agent of Carrion's disease (B. bacilliformis), trench fever (B. quintana) and, more recently, cat scratch disease (CSD) in humans (B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae). Bartonella spp have different arthropod vectors, such as fleas (Ctenocephalides felis), lice (Pediculus humanus corporis), sandflies (Lutzomyia verrucarum, Lutzomyia peruensis) and ticks (Ixodes pacificus). The main natural animal reservoirs for these bacteria are cats, dogs and rodents. Bartonella spp infect humans and can cause chronic bacteremia, which may be followed by fever, endocarditis, sepsis and neurological, psychiatric, ophthalmological, bone and hematologic manifestations, among others. The peak incidence of clinical manifestations is seen in children and young adults, aged between 2-14 years old. Approximately 24 000 cases are reported in the US each year. Bartonella clarridgeiae (strain CIP 104772 / 73) is a pleomorphic Gram-negative bacterium isolated from a case of cat scratch fever in a veterinarian who had been bitten by a cat. In both humans and domestic animals, infection may be asymptomatic and can resolve spontaneously without any treatment; however, in immunocompromized patients, more severe progress may be observed, including encephalitis, swelling of the spleen, and heart valve infection. Cats, which are infected by fleas carrying the bacteria, in turn infect humans when scratching or biting them, hence the name. The first signs and symptoms of CSD, which may appear one to two weeks after exposure, are a small red bump forms at the site of infection, followed 2-3 weeks later by a painful swelling of the lymph node. (Adapted from: 21120356 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomeprj/62727). (EBI Integr8)