Bartonellosis

The Bartonellosen are a group of bacterial infections caused by members of the genus Bartonella. The Bartonellosen are mainly transmitted from animals to humans and therefore belong to the group of zoonoses. The name derives from Alberto Barton, the discoverer of the pathogen from.

List of Bartonellosen and vectors

There are three known pathogens of human Bartonellosen. Also, a fourth, the type Bartonella elisabethae has been found a few times in patients.

Verruga peruana ( Peruvian wart )

Peliosis hepatis

Bacillary angiomatosis

Unknown

Unknown

Properties of bacterial genus Bartonella

All bacteria of this genus are Gram- negative and aerobic. The cells are rod-shaped and small ( you can find details size between 0.4 x 1.0 x 1.5 microns and 0.6 microns ). The type B. bacilliformis moves away with the help of flagella, the species B. quintana and B. henselae pili. They are found mostly in endothelial cells, or red blood cells ( erythrocytes), but also on their cell walls. They are thus, in contrast to Rickettsia, not obligate intracellular, they can also survive outside the host cells. Thus, cultivation on artificial media is possible. For a reliable distinction of species PCR tests are performed.

Almost all groups of antibiotics are used against Bartonella.

Systematics of Bartonella

Bartonella belongs to the family Bartonellaceae, which was formerly provided along with the Rickettsiaceae ( Rickettsia ) to the order Rickettsiales. Currently Bartonellaceae the order Rhizobiales is assigned. The Bartonellosen were under the previous system used to be very closely considered with the rickettsial diseases. The species B. quintana and B. henselae were listed earlier under the genus Rochalimea.