Initial diagnosis of HIV/AIDS in a 56-year-old man with non-healing forearm lesion.

A 56-year-old Hispanic man with no significant medical problems presented with a 2-month history of a non-healing right forearm lesion that progressed despite several courses of empiric antibiotics. The patient underwent incision and drainage. Warthin-Starry stain with immunohistochemistry testing diagnosed bacillary angiomatosis secondary to Bartonella quintana. Subsequently, the patient was diagnosed with HIV, with a CD4 count of 68 cells/mm(3), and a HIV viral load of 47, 914 copies/mL. The patient was treated with doxycycline and started on antiretroviral therapy. The lesion has resolved and he has had no recurrence after 16 months of treatment.

Aspectos clínicos, epidemiológicos e laboratoriais das bartoneloses em crianças do Rio de Janeiro / Clinical, epidemiological and laboratory aspects of bartonellosis in children in Rio de Janeiro

As bartoneloses são doenças mundialmente dispersas causadas por bactérias gramnegativas do gênero Bartonella. Com mais de 24 espécies reconhecidas, B. bacilliformis, B.henselae e B. quintana são os principais e mais comuns agentes causadores de doença emhumanos. Na literatura existem relatos de casos isolados e alguns estudos de prevalênciasorológica sobre a doença, a maioria realizados em pacientes adultos, com escassainformação sobre a sua apresentação e a epidemiologia nas crianças. A proposta desseestudo retrospectivo foi analisar uma série casos de bartonelose em pacientes abaixo de 16anos, no estado do Rio de Janeiro, durante o período de 2006 a 2012, a partir dos dadossecundßrios obtidos no banco de dados do Laboratório de Referência Nacional paraRickettsioses, Laboratório de Hantavirose e Rickettsioses do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio deJaneiro. Dos 36 confirmados por anßlise sorológica utilizando teste de imunofluorescênciacomercial, com títulos de corte de 64, e/ ou por reação em cadeia da polimerase, 19 casos(52,7 por cento) foram do sexo feminino, com uma variação por faixa etßria de zero a 16 anos, 19(52,7 por cento) tinham entre 11 e 16 anos de idade. A maioria dos casos - 22 casos (61,1 por cento) -, foiprocedente do município do Rio de Janeiro, com mais cinco (13,8 por cento ) e três (8,3 por cento) empacientes residentes nos municípios de Duque de Caxias e Nova Iguaçu. A informaçãosobre contato com gato estava disponível em apenas sete (19,4 por cento)...

Bartonelloses are globally dispersed diseases caused by gram-negative bacteria fromBartonella genus. With over 24 recognized species, B. bacilliformis, B. henselae and B.Quintana are the main and most common disease-causing agents in humans. In theliterature, there are reports of isolated cases and some seroprevalence studies about thedisease, most performed in adult patients, with limited information about its presentation andepidemiology in children. The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyze a caseseries of bartonellosis in patients aged less than 16 years, in the State of Rio de Janeiro,during the period 2006-2012. We assessed secondary data from the National ReferenceLaboratory for Rickettsiosis, Laboratory of Hantaviroses and Rickettsioses of Oswaldo CruzInstitute, Rio de Janeiro. Nineteen cases (52,7 percent), from 36 confirmed by serological analysisusing commercial immunofluorescence test, with antibody cut off titers of 64 , and / orpolymerase chain reaction, were female, with an age variation from zero to 16 years old, 19(52.7 percent) were between 11 and 16 years old. Most of cases - 22 (61.1 percent) û were found in thecity of Rio de Janeiro, with another five (13.8 percent) and three (8.3 percent) in patients residing in thecities of Duque de Caxias and Nova Iguaçu. Information about contact with cats wasavailable in just seven (19,4 percent). Clinical manifestations observed in this study were similar tothose described in the literature, in which it was possible to identify cat scratch disease(CSD), fever of unknown origin, and hepatosplenic form...

Adhesins of Bartonella spp.

Adhesion to host cells represents the first step in the infection process and one of the decisive features in the pathogenicity of Bartonella spp. B. henselae and B. quintana are considered to be the most important human pathogenic species, responsible for cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, trench fever and other diseases. The ability to cause vasculoproliferative disorders and intraerythrocytic bacteraemia are unique features of the genus Bartonella. Consequently, the interaction with endothelial cells and erythrocytes is a focus in Bartonella research. The genus harbours a variety of trimeric autotransporter adhesins (TAAs) such as the Bartonella adhesin A (BadA) of B. henselae and the variably expressed outer-membrane proteins (Vomps) of B. quintana, which display remarkable variations in length and modular construction. These adhesins mediate many of the biologically-important properties of Bartonella spp. such as adherence to endothelial cells and extracellular matrix proteins and induction of angiogenic gene programming. There is also significant evidence that the laterally acquired Trw-conjugation systems of Bartonella spp. mediate host-specific adherence to erythrocytes. Other potential adhesins are the filamentous haemagglutinins and several outer membrane proteins. The exact molecular functions of these adhesins and their interplay with other pathogenicity factors (e.g., the VirB/D4 type 4 secretion system) need to be analysed in detail to understand how these pathogens adapt to their mammalian hosts.

Bartonella quintana and Bartonella pediococcus Infection after Aortic Valve Replacement.

Bartonella quintana and Bartonella pediococcus infections are very rare causes of endocarditis. Urban trench fever with relapsing febrile illness, headache, leg pain, and endocarditis has now begun to be a more important cause of disease in socially disadvantaged persons. The diagnosis is difficult because the growth of B. quintana in blood culture takes 20-40 days. B. pediococcus may be an opportunistic pathogen in severely compromised hosts, although it has been described as a harmless bacterium. We describe a patient who developed bioprosthetic valve infection with B. quintana and B. pediococcus after valve replacement.

Disseminated Bartonella infection following liver transplantation.

Bartonella henselae has not only been identified as the causative agent of cat scratch disease, but it is also associated with other significant infectious syndromes in the immunocompromised population. We describe two cases of B. henselae associated diseases in liver transplant recipients who both had contact with cats. The first recipient developed localized skin manifestation of bacillary angiomatosis in association with granulomatous hepatitis. He tested positive for Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against B. henselae. The second patient developed axillary lymphadenopathy, with biopsy showing necrotizing granulomatous inflammation and polymerase chain reaction studies were positive for B. henselae DNA. Her serology for bartonellosis showed a fourfold rise in antibody titers during her hospitalization. Both patients responded to treatment with Azithromycin in combination with Doxycycline. These were the only cases within a series of 467 consecutive liver transplants performed in 402 patients performed during a 4-year period. Although bartonellosis is a rare infection in liver transplantation recipients, it should always be included in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with fever, central nervous system (CNS) symptoms, skin lesions, lymphadenopathy, and hepatitis especially if prior contact with cats is reported.

[Infection and angiomatous cutaneous lesions]. / Infection et lésions cutanées angiomateuses.

The occurrence of angiomatous cutaneous lesions in the presence of an infective process is not a frequent phenomenon. Most infectious diseases are associated with an exanthematous reaction. The combination of an infective illness and angiomatous lesions is seen essentially in the bartonelloses and in Kaposi's disease. Bartonelloses: group of infections due to alpha-proteobacteria such as Bartonella. Bartonella bacilliformis (BB), is the causal agent of Carrion's disease, the chronic cutaneous form of which (verruga peruana), in which the vector is an arthropod of the Lutzomyia species found in South America, presents superficial and deep angiomatous cutaneous nodules. Spontaneous regression occurs in a few months or years. Bartonella henselae (BH) and Bartonella quintana (BQ), are the causal agents of bacillary angiomatosis (BA), described in 1983, in which angiomatous papules or nodules with an appearance like botryomycomas, are associated with visceral lesions. The characteristic histological features (with the demonstration or the bacilli by Warthin-Starry stain) together with culture of the bacterium in various tissues (including the blood) are diagnostic. BA occurs most commonly, but not exclusively, in patients with HIV infection. Furthermore, BH is responsible for cat scratch disease while BQ causes trench fever. The reservoir of BH is the cat. The bartonella produce angiogenic factors responsible for the neovascularisation seen in angiomatous lesions. The differential diagnosis is between botryomycomas and Kaposi's disease. Numerous antibiotics are effective against botryomycomas, particularly chloramphenicol and penicillin for BB and macrolides, cyclins and fluoroquinolones for BH and BQ. Kaposi's disease (KD): whether classical, endemic or epidemic (due to HIV infection) is characterised by cutaneous and visceral angiomatous lesions: these are associated with multifocal tumorous proliferations (of endothelial and fusiform cells) affected by angiogenic growth factors (PDGF, FGF, IL6, alphaTGF, HIVtat, androgens) and strongly linked to the lymphocytic and endothelial tropism of a gamma herpes virus (HHV8, Chang and Moore 1994). HHV8 infection, probably sexually transmitted, is also the cause of lymphomas occurring in cavities and of Castleman's disease. The course of KD is very variable: from the indolent form in elderly HIV-ve patients, to the explosive forms in the immunodepressed (particularly in HIV+ve patients.

Bartonella infections: diverse and elusive.

Children with young cats, HIV-infected patients with low CD4 counts, and lice-infested homeless people are among those with an increased risk. Clinical presentation varies with the infecting Bartonella species and the host. Treatment for cat-scratch disease is supportive; macrolide therapy is an appropriate choice for other Bartonella infections.

Baccilary angiomatosis: negative results using normal Balb/c and Balb/c nude mice

Baccilary angiomatosis has recently been described as a disease that can spread systematically and that is potentially fatal. It is caused by Bartonella henselae and B. quintana, and presents as especially pronounced signs and symptoms in patients suffering from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). To clarify the pathogenesis of the disease and to try to define the relationships among baccilary angiomatosis, cat scratch disease and Carrión's bartonellosis, the authors of this study have attempted to develop an experimental model using mice that were immunocompetent as well as those that had their cellular immunity genetically compromised. A know concentration of B. henselae was inoculated intradermally in Balb/c an isogenic mice or an athymic group of the same lineage. Blood samples were taken on days-0, 3, 7, 10, 14, 28, and 60 after inoculation for indirect immunofluorescence antibody testing. On the 21st and 60th day, one animal from each group was sacrificed and a post mortem carried out including histological evaluation of the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, skin and other organs. Hemocultures of the sacrificed animals were collected. All results of serologic response, cultures and histologic examination were negative. The authors discuss the methodology, especially the use of isogenic animals of the same lineage in B. henselae infection, with and without immunodeficiency, and the resources for the negative results of histopathology, serology and cultures.

Bartonella spp. as emerging human pathogens.

Members of the genus Bartonella (formerly Rochalimaea) were virtually unknown to modern-day clinicians and microbiologists until they were associated with opportunistic infections in AIDS patients about 6 years ago. Since that time, Bartonella species have been associated with cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and a variety of other disease syndromes. Clinical presentation of infection with Bartonella ranges from a relatively mild lymphadenopathy with few other symptoms, seen in cat scratch disease, to life-threatening systemic disease in the immunocompromised patient. In some individuals, infection manifests as lesions that exhibit proliferation of endothelial cells and neovascularization, a pathogenic process unique to this genus of bacteria. As the spectrum of disease attributed to Bartonella is further defined, the need for reliable laboratory methods to diagnose infections caused by these unique organisms also increases. A brief summary of the clinical presentations associated with Bartonella infections is presented, and the current status of laboratory diagnosis and identification of these organisms is reviewed.

Bartonella henselae infection in cats: evaluation during primary infection, treatment, and rechallenge infection.

Bartonella henselae infection was established in eight cats of various ages by experimental inoculation. All cats remained persistently bacteremic until they were treated 4 to 7 weeks after primary inoculation. Antibody titers increased and peaked between 4 and 12 weeks for all cats. Treatment with doxycycline for 1 week was effective in suppressing bacteremia in all cats but was effective in clearing infection from only four cats. Amoxicillin, given subsequently, was effective in clearing the infection from three of the remaining cats. One kitten that remained bacteremic was treated unsuccessfully with enrofloxacin, and its bacteremia was finally cleared when it was treated with a clavulanate-amoxicillin combination. After the bacteremia was cleared, with a corresponding reduction in serum antibody titers, all eight cats were rechallenged with B. henselae. None of the cats became bacteremic after secondary challenge, and all had higher and more rapid increases in serum antibody titers than after primary inoculation. The cats became resistant to reinfection following recovery from infection, indicating that immunoprophylaxis in cats might be beneficial in helping to reduce their public health risk.

[Cat scratch disease caused by Bartonella henselae]. / Katzenkratzkrankheit durch Bartonella henselae.

Bartonella henselae is an etiologic agent of cat-scratch disease and, in immunocompromised patients, of bacillary angiomatosis and other severe syndromes. Cat-scratch disease usually presents as lymphadenopathy, which resolves spontaneously within 2-4 months. The utility of antibiotic therapy remains controversial. In Tyrol four cases of human cat-scratch disease were diagnosed in children in 1994, yielding a prevalence of 0.7/100,000 per year. A 3-year-old boy had lymphadenitis coli since one year despite antituberculosis therapy which was initiated because of the histopathological picture and a positive tuberculin reaction (despite negative mycobacteria-cultures and -PCR). Two girls, age 9 and 13 years, had lymphadenitis at upper or lower extremities after cat-scratches from kittens. A 13-year-old boy presented with febrile illness and right hip pain, computer tomography revealed an osteolytic lesion; symptoms subsided within 3 weeks. Diagnosis of cat-scratch disease is based on cat contact, negative studies for other similar diseases, characteristic histopathologic features (if available), and results of an indirect immunofluorescence test (antigen: Houston-1 isolate, ATCC 49882). We believe that the availability of this serological test will increase the number of diagnosed cases of human Bartonella henselae infections.

Unraveling mysteries associated with cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and related syndromes.

The search for the infectious agents responsible for cat-scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and related syndromes has a long and often circuitous history. Recognition of the etiologic agents and a new understanding of the fundamental features of the epidemiology and natural history of modern day Bartonella (formerly Rochalimaea)-associated diseases culminate a multipartite story that combines clinical medicine, traditional microbiology, and novel technological approaches to solve a long-standing enigma.

Bartonelosis: reporte de un caso procedente de zona no endémica y presentación inusual / Bartonelosis: case report of a non endemic area

Se presenta un caso de Bartonelosis en una mujer de 59 años de edad que procedía de Quillabamba, Cuzco, zona no reconocida como endémica, que en la evolución desarrolló complicaciones de presentación infrecuentes como pericarditis con taponamiento cardiaco, derrame pleural masivo, ambos sin evidencia de infección secundaria, colagenopatía ni neoplasia, que requirieron toracotomía, pericardiectomía y drenaje pleuropericárdico. Además, presentó complicaciones hematológica, hepática, renal y neurológica antes de morir a pesar de los esfuerzos médicos.

Characterization of Bartonella bacilliformis flagella and effect of antiflagellin antibodies on invasion of human erythrocytes.

Bartonella bacilliformis is the etiologic agent of Oroya fever in humans. Flagellum-mediated motility has been postulated as a major virulence factor for invasion of host cells. To address this hypothesis, we purified and characterized flagella from strain KC584 and then assessed their role in human erythrocyte association and invasion. Electron microscopy of the flagellar preparation showed a high concentration of filaments with a mean wavelength of 800 nm. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunoblot analysis, and KBr density gradient centrifugation indicated that the flagellar filament is composed of a polypeptide of 42 kDa. The flagellin is partially (ca. 50%) resistant to treatment with trypsin. The first 17 amino acid residues of the N terminus of the mature flagellin protein are GAAILTNDNAMDALQDL and show approximately 46% sequence identity to the residues of the N termini of two Caulobacter crescentus flagellin proteins. A monospecific polyclonal antibodies to the flagellin protein was generated, and its specificity was verified by both immunoblot and immunogold analyses. Human erythrocyte invasion assays performed with bartonellae exposed to the antiflagellin antiserum showed a significant decrease in bacterial association with and invasion of human erythrocytes in comparison with that in bartonellae exposed to preimmune rabbit serum or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) controls. These results suggest that flagella are an important component in the invasiveness of B. bacilliformis.

Nuevas contribuciones al estudio de la Bartonelosis o Enfermedad de Carrión / New contributions to the study of disease or Bartonellosis Carrion

El estudio de 145 casos con Bartonelosis (68 en fase aguda y 77 en fase eruptiva) demostró que un 50 por ciento (34/68) de los pacientes en fase aguda eran residentes nativos de zonas endémicas, lo que revela la susceptibilidad de algunos nativos. Lugares principales de adquisición de la Bartonelosis fueron: 60.6 por ciento Ancash, 30.3 por ciento Lima, 3.4 por ciento Amazonas, 2.7 por ciento Cajamarca y 2 por ciento Huancavelica (probable nueva zona de Bartonelosis). Los síntomas en la fase aguda en orden de importancia son: fiebre, palidez, hiporexia, decaimiento general, debilidad, postración, cefalea; y en los pacientes en fase eruptiva: sangrado de las verrugas, fiebre, malestar general, artralgias. Signos importantes en los pacientes en fase aguda, son: 97 por ciento de palidez, 91.2 por ciento de regular a mal estado general, 82 por ciento hepatomegalia, 79.1 por ciento de fiebre, 75.2 por ciento de regular a mal estado nutricional, 77.9 por ciento soplo sistólico, 71.6 por ciento ictericia, 70.1 por ciento linfoadenomegalia. Otros signos destacados en la evolución fueron: 29.4 por ciento edema pretibial, 26.4 por ciento somnolencia, 22 por ciento mialgias, 16.4 por ciento derrame pericárdico, 14.7 por ciento fondo de ojo anormal (la gran mayoría con retinopatía hemorrágica), 10.2 por ciento convulsiones. Un hallazgo interesante fue la positividad en el frontis sanguíneo y el aislamiento de Bartonella bacilliformis en la sangre de 13 por ciento (2/15) de pacientes en fase eruptiva. En los pacientes agudos, el promedio del hematocrito inicial fue de 17.21 por ciento un 61 por ciento presentó leucocitosis inicial y sólo el 17.2 por ciento tuvo linfopenia, y ningún caso de leucopenia. El 60 por ciento tuvo incremento de bilirrubina total, predominando el incremento de la bilirrubina total, predominando el incremento de la bilirubina directa sobre la indirecta...

Infección "in vitro" de los hematies humanos por bartonella / Human hemocytes infection \"in vitro\" by bartonella

La Enfermedad de Carrión es producida por Bartonella bacilliformis a través de la picadura de insecto del género Lutzomyia. La bacteria después de un periodo de incubación en el RES, parasita a los hematies. Conociendo estos aspectos dinámicos de la Bartonella, nos llevó a realizar la réplica de la infección In-Vitro. Para lo cual utilizamos dos cepas de Bartonella (21 y 051), el medio Agar de Fases y hematíes de los diferentes grupos sanguíneos humanossanos. Cultivamos el complejo Hematíes-Bartonellas, utilizando 15 frascos de Kolle con Medio Agar de Fases para cada una de las cepas de Bartonella. Resultados: A partir del sexto día de incubación, se observó el parasitismo de los hematíes por la bacteria, siendo más acentuado a las dos semanas de incubación. Conclusión: el parasitismo hemático en la infección in-vitro, es parecido a la infección natural de las personas en zonas endémicas de Bartonelosis

Verruga peruana: mecanismo de la proliferación vascular del verrucoma / Peruvian wart

El verrucoma es un "hemangioma" (hemangioma-like, sería mas aproximado) cuya neoformación vascular es inducida por la Bartonella baciliformis. La angiogenina, una proteína recientemente aislada de un cáncer de colon, posee la propiedad de inducir la proliferación de las células endoteliales resultante en neoformación capilar. Se discute la hipótesis de que la neoformación vascular del verrucoma pudiera ser medida por la angiogenina cuya sobreproducción sería inducida por la Bartonella.