Bartonella quintana

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Bartonella quintana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Pseudomonadota
Class: Alphaproteobacteria
Order: Hyphomicrobiales
Family: Bartonellaceae
Genus: Bartonella
Species:
B. quintana
Binomial name
Bartonella quintana
(Schmincke 1917) Brenner et al. 1993
Synonyms[1]
  • Rochalimaea quintana
    (Schmincke 1917) Krieg 1961
  • Wolhynia qintanae
    Zhdanov and Korenblit 1950
  • Rickettsia wolhynica
    Jungmann and Kuczynski 1918
  • Rickettsia weigli
    Mosing 1936
  • Rickettsia quintana
    Schmincke 1917
  • Rickettsia pediculi
    Munk and da Rocha-Lima 1917
  • Burnetia (Rocha-limae) wolhynica
    Macchiavello 1947

Bartonella quintana, originally known as Rochalimaea quintana,

human body louse that causes trench fever.[4] This bacterial species caused outbreaks of trench fever affecting 1 million soldiers in Europe during World War I.[5]

Genome

B. quintana had an estimated genome size of 1,700 to 2,174 kilo-base pairs.,[6] but the first genome sequence (of strain RM-11) contains a single circular chromosome of 1,587,646 base pairs.[7]

Background and characteristics

B. quintana is a

Gram-negative(−), pole rod-shaped (bacillus) bacterium. The infection caused by this microorganism, trench fever, was first documented in soldiers during World War I, but has now been seen in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Its primary vector is known to be Pediculus humanus variety corporis, also known as the human body louse.[8] It was first known to be isolated in axenic culture by J.W. Vinson in 1960, from a patient in Mexico City. He then followed Koch's postulates, infecting volunteers with the bacterium, showing consistent symptoms and clinical manifestations of trench fever. The medium best for growing this bacterium is blood-enriched in an atmosphere containing 5% carbon dioxide.[3]

Pathophysiology

Although lice are

icosahedral particle, 40 nm in length, has been detected in cultures of B. quintana's close relative, B. henselae. This particle contains a 14-kb linear DNA segment, but its function in Bartonella pathophysiology is still unknown.[11]
In trench fever or B. quintana-induced endocarditis patients, bacillary angiomatosis lesions are also seen. Notably, endocarditis is a new manifestation of the infection, not seen in World War I troops.

Ecology and epidemiology

B. quintana infection has subsequently been seen in every continent except Antarctica. Local infections have been associated with risk factors such as poverty, alcoholism, and homelessness. Serological evidence of B. quintana infection showed, of hospitalized homeless patients, 16% were infected, as opposed to 1.8% of nonhospitalized homeless persons, and 0% of blood donors at large.[12] Lice have been demonstrated, as of recently, to be the key component in transmitting B. quintana.[13][14] This has been attributed to living in unsanitary conditions and crowded areas, where the risk of coming into contact with other individuals carrying B. quintana and

ectoparasites (body lice) is increased. Also noteworthy, the increasing migration worldwide may also play a role in spreading trench fever, from areas where it is endemic to susceptible populations in urban areas. Recent concern is the possibility of the emergence of new strains of B. quintana through horizontal gene transfer, which could result in the acquisition of other virulence factors.[8]

Clinical manifestations

coinfecting
an AIDS patient

The clinical manifestations of B. quintana infection are highly variable. The

hyperaesthesia of the shins. Rarely is B. quintana infection fatal, unless endocarditis develops and goes untreated. Weight loss, and thrombocytopenia
are sometimes also seen. Recovery can take up to a month.

Diagnosis and treatment

To have a definite diagnosis of infection with B. quintana requires either serological cultures or nucleic acid amplification techniques. To differentiate between different species,

DNA hybridization and restriction fragment length polymorphisms, or citrate synthase gene sequencing.[17] Treatment usually consists of a 4- to 6-week course of doxycycline, erythromycin, or azithromycin.[18][19]

References

  1. ^ "Bartonella quintana". National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  2. ^ "Definition of Bartonella quintana". MedicineNet. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  3. ^
    PMID 10913410
    .
  4. PMID 16485482
    .
  5. PMID 8903217
    .
  6. PMID 7650189
    .
  7. ^
    PMID 23105078.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  8. ^
    PMID 8809460
    .
  9. PMID 8406424
    .
  10. PMID 17606598
    .
  11. S2CID 25225247
    .
  12. PMID 8909840
    .
  13. PMID 9407154
    .
  14. PMID 9895398
    .
  15. PMID 5810799
    .
  16. PMID 22360386
    .
  17. PMID 63526
    .
  18. PMID 2233947
    .
  19. PMID 6742814
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bartonella_quintana&oldid=1217260902"