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Rodent-associated Bartonella febrile illness, Southwestern United States

Jonathan Iralu1, Ying Bai, Larry Crook

  • 1US Public Health Service, Gallup, New Mexico, USA.

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|July 14, 2006
PubMed

Insights

This study identified potential new Bartonella pathogens in patients with febrile illness. High antibody titers to rodent Bartonella antigens suggest a broader range of Bartonella infections in humans.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Serology

Background:

  • Bartonella species are increasingly recognized as human pathogens.
  • Rodent-associated Bartonella infections are not well-characterized in humans.
  • Febrile illnesses can have diverse etiologies, including zoonotic infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate Bartonella seroreactivity in patients with febrile illness.
  • To identify potential novel Bartonella pathogens associated with rodent exposure.
  • To characterize clinical and serological findings in patients with Bartonella infections.

Main Methods:

  • Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was used to test serum specimens from 114 hospitalized patients.
  • Antigens included six rodent-associated Bartonella species and three known human Bartonella pathogens (B. henselae, B. quintana, B. elizabethae).
  • Acute- and convalescent-phase serum samples were analyzed for seroconversion.

Main Results:

  • Five of 114 patients demonstrated seroconversion with high IFA titers (>512) to rodent-associated Bartonella antigens.
  • The highest titers were observed against antigens from the white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula).
  • Three patients with seroconversion showed no cross-reactivity to the three common human Bartonella pathogens, suggesting novel infections.

Conclusions:

  • High-titer seroconversions to rodent-associated Bartonella antigens in febrile patients indicate potential new Bartonella pathogens.
  • Clinical presentations included fever, chills, myalgias, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and transaminasemia.
  • Further investigation is warranted to identify and characterize additional Bartonella human pathogens, particularly those linked to rodent reservoirs.

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