Bartonellosis, One Health and all creatures great and small
Dr Breitschwerdt’s recently published paper:- Bartonellosis, One Health and all creatures great and small https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28133871 Dr Breitscherdt reviews Bartonellosis, zoonotic infections which are found Worldwide, caused by an expanding number of recently discovered Bartonella species. RESULTS: Of comparative medical importance, Bartonella spp. are transmitted by several arthropod vectors, including fleas, keds, lice, sand flies, ticks and, potentially, mites and spiders. Prior to 1990, there was only one named Bartonella species (B. bacilliformis), whereas there are now over 36, of which 17 have been associated with an expanding spectrum of animal and human diseases. Recent advances in diagnostic techniques have facilitated documentation of chronic bloodstream and dermatological infections with Bartonella spp. in healthy and sick animals, in human blood donors, and in immunocompetent and immunocompromised human patients. The field of Bartonella research remains in its infancy and is rich in questions, for which patient relevant answers are badly needed. Directed Bartonella research could substantially reduce a spectrum of chronic and debilitating animal and human diseases, and thereby reduce suffering throughout the world. CONCLUSION: A One Health approach to this emerging infectious disease is clearly needed to define disease manifestations, to establish the comparative infectious disease pathogenesis of this stealth pathogen, to validate effective treatment regimens and to prevent zoonotic disease transmission. Earlier posts on this emerging infectious disease can be found:- Understanding Bartonella Bartonellosis: One health perspectives on an emerging infectious disease Through the search feature on the web version of this blog- Breitschwerdt Vector Infection Symposiums Also of interest – Dr. Robert Mozayeni is a rheumatologist with graduate and post-graduate physician-scientist training from Albany Medical College, Yale University,...CDC study on Cat Scratch Disease – Bartonella Henselae – finds a substantial burden of disease
New research from CDC on Cat scratch disease has just been published in the journal Emerging Infectious Disease. Cat-Scratch Disease in the United States, 2005–2013 Abstract Cat-scratch disease (CSD) is mostly preventable. More information about the epidemiology and extent of CSD would help direct prevention efforts to those at highest risk. To gain such information, we reviewed the 2005–2013 MarketScan national health insurance claims databases and identified patients <65 years of age with an inpatient admission or outpatient visit that included a CSD code from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification. Incidence of CSD was highest among those who lived in the southern United States (6.4 cases/100,000 population) and among children 5–9 years of age (9.4 cases/100,000 population). Inpatients were significantly more likely than outpatients to be male and 50–64 years of age. We estimate that each year, 12,000 outpatients are given a CSD diagnosis and 500 inpatients are hospitalized for CSD. Prevention measures (e.g., flea control for cats) are particularly helpful in southern states and in households with children. and – “CSD causes a substantial burden of disease nationwide and disproportionately affects children. Because CSD is a zoonotic infection that is maintained and spread among cats by fleas, comprehensive flea control for cats can help reduce the risk for human infection. Risk may also be reduced by washing hands after contact with cats, to remove potentially infectious flea feces that could enter breaks in the skin. Furthermore, because cats that hunt outdoors are at substantially greater risk for B. henselae bacteremia (17), limiting hunting activity of cats may reduce risk for human infection. Educational efforts...
