Bartonella quintana, past, present, and future of the scourge of World War I

Abstract

During World War I, a mysterious new disease affected soldiers on both sides of battle field. The first reports described a relapsing fever of unknown origin with body lice being suggested as the vector. The outbreak affected >1 000 000 people, mostly soldiers fighting in front-line trenches. Shortly afterward, the illness was known as Trench fever, of which the causal infectious agent is currently classified as Bartonella quintana.

Keywords: Bartonella quintana; Endocarditis; Trench fever; body lice; vector-borne disease.