Bartonella: emerging pathogen or emerging awareness?
The number of known Bartonella species is rapidly growing. Some of them are responsible for distinct infectious diseases and show different prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility profiles. Not only have some vectors of Bartonella not been fully characterized, but also intermediate hosts are actually much more numerous and diverse than previously thought. Among these, dogs differ from cats because they tend to suffer an overt disease similar to humans, thus providing the base for a useful animal indicator and research model. Among the debilitating conditions with an unclear impact on the course of these infections, specific conditions (e.g., homelessness, alcoholism) have been linked to a much higher prevalence and to high risk of unfavorable outcome. Due to the limited arsenal of antibiotics effective in vivo on this peculiar intracellular pathogen, the risk/benefit balance of antibiotic therapy is sometimes difficult to draw. In this evolving picture, the recent discoveries of new species highlights the importance of basic molecular biology resources that would bring major public health benefits if available in endemic areas, and specifically in many areas of Peru and Bolivia.
Mogollon-Pasapera
Elin
E
Sbarro Health Research Organization, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
Otvos
Laszlo
L
Giordano
Antonio
A
Cassone
Marco
M
D000818:Animals; D001473:Bartonella / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D001474:Bartonella Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D001838:Bolivia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002372:Cat-Scratch Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002415:Cats; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004285:Dogs; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D013045:Species Specificity