Clinical Microbiology Reviews, Jul 1996, 273-292, Vol 9, No. 3
M Maurin and D Raoult
Bartonella (formerly Rochalimaea) quintana is the etiological agent of
trench fever, a disease extensively reported during the World Wars. Recent
molecular biology approaches have allowed dramatic extension of the
spectrum of Bartonella infections. B. quintana is now also recognized as an
etiological agent of fever and bacteremia, endocarditis, bacillary
angiomatosis, and chronic lymphadenopathy. Human immunodeficiency
virus-infected patients and/or homeless people are the most vulnerable to
infection. Poverty and louse infestation were the main epidemiological
factors associated with B. quintana infections during wartime. Although
poverty and chronic alcoholism have been associated with modern cases of
trench fever and bacteremia due to B. quintana in Europe and the United
States, vectors for B. quintana have not been clearly identified and B.
quintana has not been isolated from modern-day lice. Microscopic bacillary
angiomatosis lesions are characterized by tumor-like capillary lobules,
with proliferating endothelial cells. In vitro experiments have shown that
B. quintana survives within endothelial cells and stimulates cell
proliferation. These observations, together with the finding that lesions
may regress when antibiotic therapy is administered, strongly suggest that
B. quintana itself stimulates angiogenesis. Bartonella infections are
characterized by a high frequency of relapses after brief courses of
antibiotic therapy. It is to be noted that in vitro, although Bartonella
species are highly susceptible to antibiotics, only the aminoglycosides
have proved to be bactericidal. However, the most effective antibiotic
regimen for Bartonella infections remains to be established.
Copyright © 1996 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Bartonella (Rochalimaea) quintana infections
Unite des Rickettsies, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique EP J0054, Faculte de medecine de la Timone, Marseille, France.
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