title: Bartonella seroprevalence in rural Thailand.
abstract: We estimated the prevalence of anti-Bartonella antibodies among febrile and non-febrile patients presenting to community hospitals in rural Thailand from February 2002 through March 2003. Single serum specimens were tested for IgG titers to four Bartonella species, B. henselae, B. quintana, B. elizabethae and B. vinsonii subsp vinsonii using an indirect immunofluorescent assay. A titer 21:256 was considered positive. Forty-two febrile patients (9.9%) and 19 non-febrile patients (19%) had positive serology titers to at least one Bartonella species. Age-standardized Bartonella seroprevalence differed significantly between febrile (10%) and non-febrile patients (18%, p=0.047), but did not differ by gender. Among all 521 patients, IgG titers 21:256 to B. henselae were found in 20 participants (3.8%), while 17 (3.3%) had seropositivity to B. quintana, 51 (9.8%) to B. elizabethae, and 19 (3.6%) to B. vinsonii subsp vinsonii. These results suggest exposure to Bartonella species is more common in rural Thailand than previously suspected.
authors.affiliation: International Emerging Infections Program, Thailand MOPH-US CDC Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand. saithipb@th.cdc.gov
authors.forename: Saithip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhengsri
authors.forename: Henry C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Baggett
authors.forename: Leonard F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Peruski
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Morway
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Tamara L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Fisk
authors.forename: Anussorn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sitdhirasdr
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.forename: Scott F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Dowell
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kosoy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001473:Bartonella / Q000276:immunology*; D001474:Bartonella Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G