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Review
. 2006 Feb;12(2):217-23.
doi: 10.3201/eid1202.050874.

Bartonella quintana characteristics and clinical management

Cédric Foucault  1 , Philippe Brouqui, Didier Raoult
Affiliations
Review

Bartonella quintana characteristics and clinical management

Cédric Foucault et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006 Feb.

Abstract

Bartonella quintana, a pathogen that is restricted to human hosts and louse vectors, was first characterized as the agent of trench fever. The disease was described in 1915 on the basis of natural and experimental infections in soldiers. It is now recognized as a reemerging pathogen among homeless populations in cities in the United States and Europe and is responsible for a wide spectrum of conditions, including chronic bacteremia, endocarditis, and bacillary angiomatosis. Diagnosis is based on serologic analysis, culture, and molecular biology. Recent characterization of its genome allowed the development of modern diagnosis and typing methods. Guidelines for the treatment of B. quintana infections are presented.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pediculus humanus corporis, the human body louse, viewed with electron microscope at magnification ×120.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Human body lice in clothes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Lesions from scratching induced by body lice infestation.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Western blot and cross-adsorption results in a patient with Bartonella quintana endocarditis. A) Nonadsorbed. B) Adsorbed with B. quintana. C) Adsorbed with B. henselae. Lane 1, B. quintana; lane 2, B. henselae; lane 3, B. elizabethae; lane 4, B. vinsonii subsp. Berkhoffi; lane 5, B. vinsonii subsp. Arupensis. Before adsorption (A), antibodies are detected against all species (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). After adsorption with B. quintana antigen (B), all antibodies disappear. After adsorption with B. henselae antigen (C), antibodies against B. quintana (1) persist. This reaction shows B. quintana infection.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Immunohistochemical demonstration of Bartonella sp. in a cardiac valve of a patient with endocarditis. Magnification ×400.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Laser confocal microscopy showing the intraerythrocytic location of Bartonella quintana. Magnification ×400.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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MeSH terms

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