Bartonella elizabethae

Bartonella elizabethae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Bacteria
Phylum: Pseudomonadota
Class: Alphaproteobacteria
Order: Hyphomicrobiales
Family: Bartonellaceae
Genus: Bartonella
Species:
B. elizabethae
Binomial name
Bartonella elizabethae
Daly et al., 1993

Bartonella elizabethae, formerly known as Rochalimaea elizabethae, is a bacterium in the genus Bartonella.[1] Like other Bartonella species, it causes the diseases bartonellosis.

Although the illnesses caused by Bartonella species other than the most common human pathogens — B. bacilliformis, B. quintana, and B. henselae — are not well-characterized individually, severe forms of bartonellosis present with endocarditis, lymphadenopathy, and neuroretinitis.[2] As with other Bartonella species, it can cause disease in animals,[3] and the reservoirs of B. elizabethae include dogs and rats.

B. elizabethae, like other rodent-borne Bartonella species, represents an emerging public health threat, especially in urban areas where rats are endemic.[4] Humans are an incidental host for the pathogen — direct transmission from dogs to humans is not well attested, and most human cases are contracted from ticks serving as a vector.[4] In cities, marginalized populations face greater risks: a 1992 study of the prevalence of bloodborne pathogens among homeless intravenous drug users in Los Angeles found an overall prevalence of 12.5% in this population.[5]

  1. ^ Daly JS, Worthington MG, Brenner DJ, Moss CW, Hollis DG, Weyant RS, et al. (April 1993). "Rochalimaea elizabethae sp. nov. isolated from a patient with endocarditis". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 31 (4): 872–881. doi:10.1128/JCM.31.4.872-881.1993. PMC 263580. PMID 7681847.
  2. ^ Krügel M, Król N, Kempf VA, Pfeffer M, Obiegala A (March 2022). "Emerging rodent-associated Bartonella: a threat for human health?". Parasites & Vectors. 15 (1): 113. doi:10.1186/s13071-022-05162-5. PMC 8969336. PMID 35361285.
  3. ^ Mexas AM, Hancock SI, Breitschwerdt EB (December 2002). "Bartonella henselae and Bartonella elizabethae as potential canine pathogens". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 40 (12): 4670–4674. doi:10.1128/jcm.40.12.4670-4674.2002. PMC 154595. PMID 12454170.
  4. ^ a b Cheslock MA, Embers ME (April 2019). "Human Bartonellosis: An Underappreciated Public Health Problem?". Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. 4 (2): 69. doi:10.3390/tropicalmed4020069. PMC 6630881. PMID 31010191.
  5. ^ Smith HM, Reporter R, Rood MP, Linscott AJ, Mascola LM, Hogrefe W, et al. (December 2002). "Prevalence study of antibody to ratborne pathogens and other agents among patients using a free clinic in downtown Los Angeles". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 186 (11): 1673–1676. doi:10.1086/345377. PMID 12447746.