''Bartonella henselae'', formerly ''Rochalimæa henselae'', is a
bacterium
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were amon ...
that is the causative agent of
cat-scratch disease (
bartonellosis).
''Bartonella henselae'' is a member of the genus ''
Bartonella
''Bartonella'' is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria. It is the only genus in the family Bartonellaceae. Facultative intracellular parasites, ''Bartonella'' species can infect healthy people, but are considered especially important as opportunis ...
'', one of the most common types of bacteria in the world. It is a facultative intracellular microbe that targets red blood cells. One study showed it invaded the mature blood cells of humans. It infects the host cell by sticking to it using
trimeric autotransporter adhesins. In the United States, about 22,000 people(per year?)are diagnosed, most under the age of 20. Most often, it is transmitted from kittens.
Diagnosis
''Bartonella henselae'' is a
Gram-negative
Gram-negative bacteria are bacteria that do not retain the crystal violet stain used in the Gram staining method of bacterial differentiation. They are characterized by their cell envelopes, which are composed of a thin peptidoglycan cell wa ...
rod.
It can be cultured in a lysis-centrifugation blood culture.
The presence of bacteria can be detected by
Warthin-Starry stain, or by a similar
silver stain In pathology, silver staining is the use of silver to selectively alter the appearance of a target in microscopy of histological sections; in temperature gradient gel electrophoresis; and in polyacrylamide gels.
In traditional stained glass, silv ...
technique performed on infected tissue.
The specific name ''henselae'' honors Diane Marie Hensel (b. 1953), a clinical microbiology technologist at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, who collected numerous strains and samples of the infective agent during an outbreak in
Oklahoma in 1985.
Symptoms
''Bartonella henselae'' infection can appear up to 10 days after exposure to the microbe. Symptoms start with a papule at the site the microbe entered, followed by lymphadenopathy, usually in the axillary node. Half of patients also get aches, nausea, abdominal pain, and malaise. Many other complications can arise from this infection beyond the typical fever, lymphadenopathy, and general malaise. Immunocompromised people or patients who already have other conditions are at greater risk for further complications. Some cases have been found in children who had previous heart-valve disease; these children got endocarditis from ''B. henselae'' infection. Some patients had hepatosplenic involvement, myalgia, and arthritis after exposure to ''B. henselae''. In rare cases, osteomyelitis, an infection in the bone, can be a manifestation of ''B. henselae''.
Treatment
No definite treatment regimen is known for a patient infected with ''B. henselae''. Treatment depends on the wide range of symptoms that present. In most cases, it will resolve on its own in 4–6 weeks. Aminoglycosides in laboratory tests showed some bactericidal activity. Bacteriostatic antibiotics are not able to easily get through to intracellular ''Bartonella'', so they are not recommended. In immunocompromised patients, pain medication is often prescribed. Nodes may need to be aspirated if painful, microabscesses often form, the abscess needs to be aspirated in many places to remove all the exudate. Because of chronic sinus-tract formation risks, the nodes should not be incised to be drained. Azithromycin can be used for lymphadenopathy, which is enlarged or swollen lymph nodes.
[Mazur-Melewska, Katarzyna, et al. "Cat-scratch disease: a wide spectrum of clinical pictures." Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postȩpy Dermatologii i Alergologii 32.3 (2015): 216.]
See also
*
BH11960
References
External links
''Bartonella henselae''at NCBI Taxonomy Browser
Type strain of ''Bartonella henselae''at BacDive, the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
{{Taxonbar, from=Q140599
Bartonellaceae
Bacteria described in 1992