bartonella Bacteria Associated with Rheumatoid illness

[Guest guest]

( BTW: I was at a conf. this year, and the DR's all said if you own a cat, do

not let it live indoors with you. Cats kill mice, and mice carry bartonella )

http://www.newswise.com/articles/bartonella-bacteria-associated-with-rheumatoid-\

illness

Newswise — A bacterium historically associated with cat scratch fever and

transmitted predominately by fleas may also play a role in human rheumatoid

illnesses such as arthritis, according to new research from North Carolina State

University.

Bartonella is a bacterium that is maintained in nature by fleas, ticks and other

biting insects. It can be transmitted to humans both by these parasites as well

as by bites or scratches from infected cats and dogs. The most commonly known

Bartonella-related illness is cat scratch disease, caused by B. henselae, a

species of Bartonella that can be carried in a cat's blood for months to years.

In collaboration with Dr. Mozayeni, a rheumatologist based in land,

and Dr. Maggi, a research assistant professor at NC State, Dr. Ed

Breitschwerdt, professor of internal medicine at NC State's College of

Veterinary Medicine and adjunct professor of medicine at Duke University, tested

blood samples from 296 patients for evidence of Bartonella infection. The

patients had previously been diagnosed with conditions ranging from Lyme disease

to arthritis to chronic fatigue. Since rheumatic symptoms have sometimes been

reported following cat scratch disease, the researchers wanted to see if these

patients tested positive for B. henselae.

Of the 296 patients, 62 percent had Bartonella antibodies, which supported prior

exposure to these bacteria. Bacterial DNA was found in 41 percent of patient

samples, allowing investigators to narrow the species of Bartonella present,

with B. henselae, B. kohlerae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii the most

prevalent. The study appears in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

" Based upon this one study. we can't definitively say that a subset of

rheumatoid illnesses have an infectious origin, " Breitschwerdt says. " However,

our results thus far do implicate Bartonella as a factor in at least some cases.

If the link between Bartonella and rheumatoid illnesses is valid, it may also

open up more directed treatment options for patients with rheumatoid illnesses. "

Note to editors: Abstract of the paper follows.

" Bartonella spp. Bacteremia and Rheumatic Symptoms in Patients from Lyme

Disease–endemic Region "

Authors: G. Maggi, L. Pultorak, Barbara C. Heggarty, M.

Bradley, Correa, Ed Breitschwerdt, North Carolina State University; B.

Mozayeni, Translational Medicine Group, PC, land

Published: Online ahead of print in Emerging Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Bartonella spp. infection has been reported in association with an expanding

spectrum of symptoms and lesions. Among 296 patients examined by a

rheumatologist, prevalence of antibodies against Bartonella henselae, B.

koehlerae, or B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (185 [62%]) and Bartonella spp.

bacteremia (122 [41.1%]) was high. Conditions diagnosed before referral included

Lyme disease (46.6%), arthralgia/arthritis (20.6%), chronic fatigue (19.6%), and

fibromyalgia (6.1%). B. henselae bacteremia was significantly associated with

prior referral to a neurologist, most often for blurred vision, subcortical

neurologic deficits, or numbness in the extremities, whereas B. koehlerae

bacteremia was associated with examination by an infectious disease physician.

This cross-sectional study cannot establish a causal link between Bartonella

spp. infection and the high frequency of neurologic symptoms, myalgia, joint

pain, or progressive arthropathy in this population; however, the contribution

of Bartonella spp. infection, if any, to these symptoms should be systematically

investigated.

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