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1.
Clin Infect Dis ; 78(3): 554-561, 2024 03 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37976173

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Bartonella quintana is a louse-borne bacterium that remains a neglected cause of endocarditis in low-resource settings. Our understanding of risk factors, clinical manifestations, and treatment of B. quintana endocarditis are biased by older studies from high-income countries. METHODS: We searched Pubmed Central, Medline, Scopus, Embase, EBSCO (CABI) Global Health, Web of Science and international trial registers for articles published before March 2023 with terms related to Bartonella quintana endocarditis. We included articles containing case-level information on B. quintana endocarditis and extracted data related to patient demographics, clinical features, diagnostic testing, treatment, and outcome. RESULTS: A total of 975 records were identified, of which 569 duplicates were removed prior to screening. In total, 84 articles were eligible for inclusion, describing a total of 167 cases. Infections were acquired in 40 different countries; 62 cases (37.1%) were acquired in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Disproportionately more female and pediatric patients were from LMICs. More patients presented with heart failure (n = 70/167 [41.9%]) than fever (n = 65/167 [38.9%]). Mean time from symptom onset to presentation was 5.1 months. Also, 25.7% of cases (n = 43/167) were associated with embolization, most commonly to the spleen and brain; 65.5% of antimicrobial regimens included doxycycline. The vast majority of cases underwent valve replacement surgery (n = 154/167, [98.0%]). Overall case fatality rate was 9.6% (n = 16/167). CONCLUSIONS: B. quintana endocarditis has a global distribution, and long delays between symptom onset and presentation frequently occur. Improved clinician education and diagnostic capacity are needed to screen at-risk populations and identify infection before endocarditis develops.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana , Endocarditis, Bacterial , Endocarditis , Trench Fever , Humans , Female , Child , Trench Fever/diagnosis , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Trench Fever/drug therapy , Endocarditis/diagnosis , Endocarditis/epidemiology , Endocarditis/therapy , Doxycycline/therapeutic use , Endocarditis, Bacterial/diagnosis , Endocarditis, Bacterial/drug therapy , Endocarditis, Bacterial/epidemiology
2.
J Med Entomol ; 60(2): 408-411, 2023 03 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36708061

ABSTRACT

Bartonella quintana is a gram-negative bacterium causing trench fever, an illness historically acquired by soldiers during World War I. More recently, outbreaks of trench fever have been reported in those experiencing homelessness in the United States, France, Russia, and Tokyo, as well as in children in Nepal and persons in Ethiopia. Reports of B. quintana infection outside of Tokyo are rare in Japan. The aim of this study was to examine body lice and blood obtained from people staying in shelters in Osaka (2009-2010) for B. quintana via polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Day laborers were defined as homeless individuals and shelter residents in this study. We detected genes of B. quintana in body lice by PCR and antibodies against B. quintana. The positive rate of B. quintana genes was 6/10 (60%) in body lice and the seroprevalence (IgG) of B. quintana was 4/10 (40%). This demonstrates that trench fever was endemic in people staying in shelters in Osaka in 2009-2010.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana , Lice Infestations , Pediculus , Trench Fever , Animals , Bartonella quintana/genetics , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Trench Fever/microbiology , Bartonellaceae , Japan/epidemiology , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Lice Infestations/epidemiology , Pediculus/genetics , Pediculus/microbiology
3.
Clin Infect Dis ; 76(8): 1382-1390, 2023 04 17.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36571112

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Louse-borne trench fever caused by Bartonella quintana is a neglected public health concern, known to be transmitted from body louse feces via scratching. No viable B. quintana have ever been isolated from head lice before; therefore, their role as a vector is still poorly understood. METHODS: In Senegal, the implementation of a permanent local surveillance system in a point-of-care laboratory (POC) allows the monitoring of emerging diseases. Here we used culture as well as molecular and genomic approaches to document an outbreak of trench fever associated with head lice in the village of Ndiop. Head lice and blood samples were collected from febrile patients between November 2010 and April 2015. Genomes of 2 isolated strains of B. quintana were sequenced and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 2289 blood samples were collected in the 2010-2015 period. From 2010-2013, B. quintana DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 0.25% (4/1580). In 2014, 228 blood samples were collected, along with 161 head lice from 5 individuals. B. quintana DNA was detected in 4.4% (10/228) of blood samples, and in lice specimens collected from febrile patients (61.7%, 50/81) and non-febrile patients (61.4%, 43/70). Two B. quintana strains were isolated from blood and head lice from 2 different patients. Genomic sequence analysis showed 99.98% overall similarity between both strains. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of live B. quintana in head lice, and the genetic identity of strains from patients' blood and head lice during a localized outbreak in Senegal, supports the evidence of head lice vectorial capacity.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana , Lice Infestations , Pediculus , Trench Fever , Animals , Humans , Bartonella quintana/genetics , Pediculus/genetics , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Senegal/epidemiology , Lice Infestations/epidemiology , Disease Outbreaks , DNA
4.
Acta Trop ; 237: 106709, 2023 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36198330

ABSTRACT

Lice are host-specific insects. Human lice include Pediculus humanus (body lice) which are known to be vectors of serious human bacterial infectious diseases including epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, trench fever and plague; Pediculus humanus capitis (head lice) that frequently affect children; and Pthirus pubis, commonly known as crab lice. In Africa, human infections transmitted by lice remained poorly known and therefore, underestimated, perhaps due to the lack of diagnostic tools and professional knowledge. In this paper we review current knowledge of the microorganisms identified in human lice in the continent of Africa, in order to alert health professionals to the importance of recognizing the risk of lice-related diseases.


Subject(s)
Lice Infestations , Pediculus , Trench Fever , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne , Animals , Child , Humans , Pediculus/microbiology , Lice Infestations/epidemiology , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/epidemiology , Africa/epidemiology
5.
J Infect Dis ; 226(Suppl 3): S315-S321, 2022 10 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35749315

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Bartonella quintana is an important cause of infection amongst people experiencing homelessness that is underdiagnosed due to its nonspecific clinical manifestations. We reviewed cases identified in the Denver metropolitan area in 2016-2021. METHODS: The electronic medical records from 2 large academic medical centers in Colorado were reviewed for demographic, clinical, and laboratory features of patients with B. quintana infection confirmed by blood culture, serologies, and/or molecular testing from July 2016 to December 2021. RESULTS: Fourteen patients with B. quintana infection were identified. The mean age was 49.5 years (SD 12.7 years) and 92.9% of patients were male. Twelve patients had history of homelessness (85.7%) and 11 were experiencing homelessness at the time of diagnosis (78.6%). Most frequent comorbidities included substance use (78.6%), of which 42.9% had alcohol use disorder. The average time to blood culture positivity was 12.1 days (SD 6.2 days). Three patients with bacteremia had negative B. quintana IgG, and 6 of 14 (42.8%) patients had evidence of endocarditis on echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS: B. quintana is an underrecognized cause of serious infection in individuals experiencing homelessness. Serologic and microbiologic testing, including prolonged culture incubation, should be considered in at-risk patients due to ongoing transmission in homeless populations.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana , Endocarditis , Ill-Housed Persons , Trench Fever , Endocarditis/microbiology , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin G , Male , Middle Aged , Trench Fever/diagnosis , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Trench Fever/microbiology
6.
Jpn J Infect Dis ; 74(5): 411-415, 2021 Sep 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33518618

ABSTRACT

Several outbreaks of trench fever caused by Bartonella quintana occurred in soldiers during World Wars I and II. Although trench fever cases have been decreasing worldwide, the disease was reported among the homeless population in developing and developed countries. The current prevalence of B. quintana infection in Japan is unclear. Blood and body louse (Pediculus humanus humanus) samples were obtained from homeless inpatients with body lice during emergency hospitalization in Tokyo from January 2013 to March 2015. Patients were tested for B. quintana infections using the culture method, polymerase chain reaction, and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Among the 29 patients tested, the presence of Bartonella spp. was confirmed by genomic sequencing of DNA extracted from two samples from blood culture performed for 15 out of 29 patients and from body louse samples of 20 patients (69%). Immunoglobulin G against B. quintana was detected in 10 patients (34.5%) at a cut-off titer of 1:256 in IFA. B. quintana infection was detected in samples obtained between 2013 and 2015 in Tokyo and needs to be on the list of differential diagnoses performed for febrile homeless individuals.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana/isolation & purification , Ill-Housed Persons/statistics & numerical data , Pediculus , Trench Fever/diagnosis , Aged , Animals , Bartonella quintana/genetics , Female , Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect , Humans , Japan/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Tokyo/epidemiology , Trench Fever/epidemiology
7.
PLoS One ; 15(11): e0239526, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33147255

ABSTRACT

During the two World Wars, Bartonella quintana was responsible for trench fever and is now recognised as an agent of re-emerging infection. Many reports have indicated widespread B. quintana exposure since the 1990s. In order to evaluate its prevalence in ancient populations, we used real-time PCR to detect B. quintana DNA in 400 teeth collected from 145 individuals dating from the 1st to 19th centuries in nine archaeological sites, with the presence of negative controls. Fisher's exact test was used to compare the prevalence of B. quintana in civil and military populations. B. quintana DNA was confirmed in a total of 28/145 (19.3%) individuals, comprising 78 citizens and 67 soldiers, 20.1% and 17.9% of which were positive for B. quintana bacteraemia, respectively. This study analysed previous studies on these ancient samples and showed that the presence of B. quintana infection followed the course of time in human history; a total of 14/15 sites from five European countries had a positive prevalence. The positive rate in soldiers was higher than those of civilians, with 20% and 18.8%, respectively, in the 18th and 19th centuries, but the difference in frequency was not significant. These results confirmed the role of dental pulp in diagnosing B. quintana bacteraemia in ancient populations and showed the incidence of B. quintana in both civilians and soldiers.


Subject(s)
Bacteremia/diagnosis , Bartonella quintana/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , Tooth/microbiology , Trench Fever/diagnosis , Bacteremia/microbiology , Bartonella quintana/physiology , DNA, Bacterial/isolation & purification , Dental Pulp/microbiology , Europe/epidemiology , Fossils/microbiology , Humans , Military Personnel , Paleodontology/methods , Prevalence , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Trench Fever/microbiology
8.
APMIS ; 126(11): 831-837, 2018 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30357961

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.


Subject(s)
Disease Outbreaks/history , Endocarditis/epidemiology , Fever/epidemiology , Lice Infestations/epidemiology , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Animals , Bartonella quintana/pathogenicity , Bartonella quintana/physiology , Endocarditis/history , Endocarditis/physiopathology , Europe/epidemiology , Fever/history , Fever/physiopathology , History, 20th Century , Humans , Insect Vectors/microbiology , Lice Infestations/history , Pediculus/microbiology , Recurrence , Trench Fever/history , Trench Fever/physiopathology , World War I
9.
Acta Trop ; 178: 115-118, 2018 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29126839

ABSTRACT

Pediculus humanus capitis is a small ectoparasitic insect that has lived and feds on human beings for thousands of years. Molecular techniques have been used for Pediculus species identification and evolutionary, phylogenic, and ecological studies. A total of 23 adults of P. h. capitis were collected in Gaziantep, located in southeast Turkey, and DNA was isolated from all P. h. capitis using DNA extraction kit. All DNA samples were screened for investigate of Ricettsia prowazekii, Bartonella quintana and Borrelia recurrentis with real-time polymerase chain reaction. In addition, we investigated genetic variation in DNA samples of Pediculus humanus capitis using the cytochrome oxidase I genetic DNA sequence. We found 4 (17.4%) Ricettsia prowazekii and 3 (13.1%) Bartonella quintana in DNA samples of Pediculus humanus capitis, while we did not find any Bartonella recurrentis in any of the DNA samples. We demonstrated 1.8% genetic variations in DNA samples of Pediculus humanus capitis with Bartonella quintana. The phylogenetic tree based on the cytochrome oxidase I gene revealed that P. h. capitis in southeast Turkey are classified into two clades (clade A, clade B) and Bartonella quintana was found in only clade B. However, we did not find any genetic variations in other DNA samples in this region. The genetic variations may be related to P. h.capitis vector of Bartonella quintana has found in this study. In addition, this study was shown that P. h. capitis do transmit Rickettsia prowazekii and Bartonella quintana to people, epidemic typhus and trench fever may emergence in Gaziantep southeast of Turkey in the future.


Subject(s)
Public Health , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/epidemiology , Adult , Animals , Bartonella quintana/isolation & purification , Humans , Pediculus/microbiology , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Rickettsia prowazekii/isolation & purification , Risk , Trench Fever/genetics , Turkey/epidemiology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/genetics
10.
Emerg Infect Dis ; 23(11): 1876-1879, 2017 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29048284

ABSTRACT

In 2015, we investigated Bartonella quintana and typhus group rickettsiae in body lice from homeless persons in Bogotá, Colombia. We found B. quintana-infected body lice and seroprevalence of this microorganism in 19% of homeless persons and typhus group rickettsiae in 56%. Public health professionals should start preemptive measures and active vector control.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana/immunology , Insect Vectors/microbiology , Lice Infestations/microbiology , Pediculus/microbiology , Rickettsia/immunology , Trench Fever/microbiology , Adult , Animals , Bartonella quintana/genetics , Bartonella quintana/isolation & purification , Colombia/epidemiology , Female , Ill-Housed Persons , Humans , Lice Infestations/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Rickettsia/genetics , Rickettsia/isolation & purification , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Trench Fever/transmission
11.
Am J Trop Med Hyg ; 95(2): 452-6, 2016 08 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27352876

ABSTRACT

In August 2012, laboratory tests confirmed a mixed outbreak of epidemic typhus fever and trench fever in a male youth rehabilitation center in western Rwanda. Seventy-six suspected cases and 118 controls were enrolled into an unmatched case-control study to identify risk factors for symptomatic illness during the outbreak. A suspected case was fever or history of fever, from April 2012, in a resident of the rehabilitation center. In total, 199 suspected cases from a population of 1,910 male youth (attack rate = 10.4%) with seven deaths (case fatality rate = 3.5%) were reported. After multivariate analysis, history of seeing lice in clothing (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-5.8), delayed (≥ 2 days) washing of clothing (aOR = 4.0, 95% CI = 1.6-9.6), and delayed (≥ 1 month) washing of beddings (aOR = 4.6, 95% CI = 2.0-11) were associated with illness, whereas having stayed in the rehabilitation camp for ≥ 6 months was protective (aOR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.10-0.40). Stronger surveillance and improvements in hygiene could prevent future outbreaks.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana/isolation & purification , Disease Outbreaks , Phthiraptera/microbiology , Rickettsia prowazekii/isolation & purification , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Animals , Bartonella quintana/pathogenicity , Case-Control Studies , Coinfection , Humans , Incidence , Male , Odds Ratio , Rehabilitation Centers , Rickettsia prowazekii/pathogenicity , Risk Factors , Rwanda/epidemiology , Survival Analysis , Trench Fever/diagnosis , Trench Fever/mortality , Trench Fever/transmission , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/diagnosis , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/mortality , Typhus, Epidemic Louse-Borne/transmission
12.
Mikrobiyol Bul ; 48(3): 477-83, 2014 Jul.
Article in Turkish | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25052114

ABSTRACT

Bartonella species cause several diseases in humans such as cat stratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, peliosis hepatis, endocarditis, Carrion disease and trench fever. Cat scratch disease and bacillary angiomatosis cases have already been reported in Turkey. Studies from our region, namely Aydin (a province located at Western Anatolia, Turkey) indicated that mean Bartonella henselae IgG seropositivity rate is 11.5% in risk groups and may reach to 26.5% in pet owners. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of B.henselae and B.quintana in healthy blood donors in our university hospital in Aydin, for estimating the transmission risk via transfusion. The study was designed as a cross-sectional epidemiological study. A total of 333 samples taken from blood donors (49 female, 284 male) who were sequentially admitted to the blood center of the university hospital, in January 2011 were included in the study. All sera were screened in terms of B.henselae and Bartonella quintana IgG antibodies by using two different indirect immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) commercial kits (Vircell, Spain; Focus, USA). Slides were examined at a final magnification of x400 on fluorescent microscope by two different assigned researchers. Fluorescent intensity was graded between 1+ to 4+, and the samples with fluorescence value of ≥ 2+ were considered as positive. The seropositivity rate of IgG antibodies to B.henselae was found as 3.3% (11/333) in blood donors. This rate was 4.1% in female, and 3.2% in male donors, showing no statistically significant difference between the genders (p= 0.668). B.henselae antibody titers were detected as 1/64 in 6 (1.8%), 1/128 in 4 (1.2%) and 1/1024 in 1 (0.3%) patient. All of the B.henselae IgG positive samples also yielded relatively low positivity for B.quintana IgG, possibly indicating cross reactivity. The fluorescence intensity for different kits used was found to be the same in all but one titer. The results reported by two researchers were found to differ only in the samples graded 1+ or below. However, the evaluation differences between the kits and the researchers did not affect the results. It was concluded that B.henselae infection might be found in the blood donors in our region, thus, a detailed questionnaire prior to blood donation might be helpful to prevent transmission of B.henselae by blood transfusion.


Subject(s)
Angiomatosis, Bacillary/epidemiology , Bartonella henselae/immunology , Bartonella quintana/immunology , Blood Donors/statistics & numerical data , Cat-Scratch Disease/epidemiology , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Adult , Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Male , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Turkey/epidemiology
13.
Am J Trop Med Hyg ; 91(2): 294-301, 2014 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24935950

ABSTRACT

Currently, the body louse is the only recognized vector of Bartonella quintana, an organism that causes trench fever. In this work, we investigated the prevalence of this bacterium in human lice in different African countries. We tested 616 head lice and 424 body lice from nine African countries using real-time polymerase chain reaction targeting intergenic spacer region 2 and specific B. quintana genes. Overall, B. quintana DNA was found in 54% and 2% of body and head lice, respectively. Our results also show that there are more body lice positive for B. quintana in poor countries, which was determined by the gross domestic product, than in wealthy areas (228/403 versus 0/21, P < 0.001). A similar finding was obtained for head lice (8/226 versus 2/390, P = 0.007). Our findings suggest that head lice in Africa may be infected by B. quintana when patients live in poor economic conditions and are also exposed to body lice.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana/isolation & purification , DNA, Bacterial/isolation & purification , Lice Infestations/epidemiology , Pediculus/microbiology , Phylogeny , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Africa/epidemiology , Animals , Bartonella quintana/genetics , Child , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , DNA, Intergenic/genetics , DNA, Intergenic/isolation & purification , Female , Humans , Lice Infestations/parasitology , Male , Molecular Typing , Pediculus/anatomy & histology , Pediculus/classification , Pediculus/genetics , Polymerase Chain Reaction , Poverty , Prevalence , Trench Fever/microbiology
16.
Emerg Infect Dis ; 19(5): 796-8, 2013 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23648147

ABSTRACT

Since the 1800s, the only known vector of Borrelia recurrentis has been the body louse. In 2011, we found B. recurrentis DNA in 23% of head lice from patients with louse-borne relapsing fever in Ethiopia. Whether head lice can transmit these bacteria from one person to another remains to be determined.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana/genetics , Borrelia/genetics , Lice Infestations/epidemiology , Pediculus/microbiology , Relapsing Fever/epidemiology , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Animals , Bartonella quintana/isolation & purification , Borrelia/isolation & purification , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/isolation & purification , Ethiopia/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Lice Infestations/microbiology , Male , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Relapsing Fever/microbiology , Relapsing Fever/transmission , Trench Fever/microbiology , Trench Fever/transmission
17.
Emerg Infect Dis ; 19(2): 297-300, 2013 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23347418
18.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis ; 12(7): 564-7, 2012 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22607067

ABSTRACT

Head and body lice are strict, obligate human ectoparasites with three mitochondrial clades (A, B, and C). Body lice have been implicated as vectors of human diseases, and as the principal vectors of epidemic typhus, relapsing fever, and Bartonella quintata-associated diseases (trench fever, bacillary angiomatosis, endocarditis, chronic bacteremia, and chronic lymphadenopathy). Using molecular methods (real-time and traditional PCR), we assessed the presence of Bartonella quintana DNA in black head lice collected from three locations in Sénégal. DNA from B. quintana was identified in 19 lice (6.93%) collected from 7 patients (7%) in Dakar. B. quintana-positive lice collected from three subjects were identified as clades C and A.


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana/isolation & purification , Insect Vectors/microbiology , Lice Infestations/epidemiology , Pediculus/microbiology , Trench Fever/microbiology , Adolescent , Adult , Animals , Bartonella quintana/genetics , Base Sequence , Child , Cytochromes b/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/chemistry , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , DNA, Mitochondrial/chemistry , DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics , Female , Ill-Housed Persons , Humans , Lice Infestations/parasitology , Male , Molecular Sequence Data , Phylogeny , Senegal/epidemiology , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Trench Fever/transmission
19.
Pol J Microbiol ; 61(4): 315-7, 2012.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23484416

ABSTRACT

Between 2007 and 2010, a total of 268 Croatian patients with lymphadenopathy were tested for IgM/IgG antibodies to Bartonella (B.) henselae and B. quintana. Samples from 44.4% patients showed positive IgG antibodies: 35.8% to B. henselae, 6.7% to B. quintana and 1.9% to both Bartonella species. There was no difference in seropositivity between males and females (47.4% vs. 41.5%). Seroprevalence was high in all age groups (40.4-60.9%). Patients from urban and rural areas showed a similar seroprevalence rate (44.1% vs. 44.8%). Positive IgM antibodies were found in 28.3% patients varying from 17.5% and 37.5% among age groups. Most cases were reported from August to March.


Subject(s)
Angiomatosis, Bacillary/immunology , Antibodies, Bacterial/blood , Bartonella henselae/immunology , Bartonella quintana/immunology , Lymphatic Diseases/microbiology , Trench Fever/immunology , Angiomatosis, Bacillary/epidemiology , Croatia/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Lymphatic Diseases/epidemiology , Male , Rural Population , Seasons , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Urban Population
20.
Emerg Infect Dis ; 17(12): 2357-9, 2011 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22172306

ABSTRACT

To determine the presence of Bartonella quintana in head and body lice from persons in different locations in Ethiopia, we used molecular methods. B. quintana was found in 19 (7%) genotype C head lice and in 76 (18%) genotype A body lice. B. quintana in head lice was positively linked to altitude (p = 0.014).


Subject(s)
Bartonella quintana/genetics , Bartonella quintana/isolation & purification , Pediculus/microbiology , Altitude , Animals , Bartonella quintana/classification , Communicable Diseases, Emerging/epidemiology , Communicable Diseases, Emerging/transmission , Ethiopia/epidemiology , Female , Genotype , Humans , Insect Vectors/microbiology , Lice Infestations/epidemiology , Male , Phylogeny , Trench Fever/epidemiology , Trench Fever/transmission
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