Archive for the ‘Bartonella’ Category

What Are Lymph Nodes? How Do They Respond to a Bartonella Species Infection?

https://www.galaxydx.com/lymph-nodes-and-bartonella-infections/

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What are lymph nodes? How do they respond to a Bartonella species infection?

Lymph nodes have been called the “upper management” of the immune system by journalist Matt Richtel. Some of the more impressive aspects of the immune system, such as the ability to recognize pathogens that may have been encountered years earlier, occur in the lymph nodes.

Lymph nodes are scattered throughout the body. Some are as small as a poppy seed. Others are much larger. Tonsils are lymph nodes in the throat. The spleen is a specialized structure of the lymph system that is similar to a lymph node.

The lymph system circulates a fluid called lymph between all the cells in the body. Scientists used to think that the brain was isolated from the lymph system, but in 2017 researchers discovered that the brain drains lymphatic fluid into the lymph system. This means that the immune has contact with antigens that may be drained from the brain. How the immune system and the brain interrelate is a productive area of research that is leading to developments in understanding of a variety of psychiatric conditions.

Lymph fluid travels very slowly through the body. Unlike blood, there is no pump circulating the fluid. The total circulation of lymph fluid is only a little over a gallon per day. Nonetheless, a person would die quickly without this vital flow removing debris from cells and informing the immune system of everything that is going on in the body. Lymph fluid consists of:

  • macrophages, which remove debris
  • lymphocytes, a white blood cell
  • some red blood cells
  • chyle, a fatty fluid produced by the small intestine
  • other specialized immune cells.

The lymph nodes are continually exposed to all of the proteins circulating in the body, including proteins that are shed from the surfaces of pathogens. As these proteins pass through the lymph nodes, they encounter a variety of T cells with antigen receptors for previously encountered pathogens.

If prior experience with an antigen was long ago or did not create a strong immune response, there may only be a few T cells in the lymph system that match that antigen. Age and immune suppression may also reduce the number of T cells produced. Nonetheless, a few T cells with the correct antigen receptor can still be effective. If the antigen encounters one of those T cells, the T cell activates and sets off a response from the adaptive immune system.

This immune response may cause lymph nodes to swell (lymphadenitis). The immune response may be to something that would otherwise be harmless- an in an allergic reaction. The immune response may be to a harmful pathogen. T-cells also attack cancer cells, and this function of the immune system to fight cancer is being used in new treatments such as CAR-T immunotherapy.

There can be other causes of lymph node swelling such as a blockage or cancer of the lymph system itself. Furthermore, because waste is continually flowing through the lymph nodes, they are susceptible to metastasized cancer from other areas of the body.

A swollen lymph node near the skin may cause redness and pain, and swollen lymph nodes in the head and neck may cause pain and even difficulty breathing. However, swollen lymph nodes in other locations may have more diverse symptoms that are difficult to pinpoint.

If the swollen lymph node is in response to an infection, swelling will generally go down within a few weeks of the infection being resolved. In some cases chronic lymph node swelling results.

Whether lymph node swelling and tenderness occurs with a Bartonella species infections depends on a lot of factors. Cat scratch disease, an acute Bartonella henselae infection most frequently seen in children, is usually characterized by lymph node swelling near the site of the scratch.

Lymphadenitis may occur after a scratch from an infected cat (Source: CDC).

However, other Bartonella species infections may have no lymph node swelling at all. One study of 913 patients with Bartonella henselae infection found that patients with musculoskeletal pain were less likely to have lymph node swelling than patients with other symptoms.

While lymph node swelling is not diagnostic of vector-borne disease, it can help point to an infectious cause in hard-to-diagnose cases. For example, a child with bone inflammation (osteomyelitis) caused by Bartonella henselae also had pancreatic duodenal lymphadenitis. In another case, a woman had a retinal vessel occlusion, erythema on her legs, and an enlarged lymph node. These additional symptoms helped physicians find the infectious cause of her vision loss.

Lymph nodes have contact with every part of the body via the circulation of lymph fluid. They send very specific signals to the body in terms of antigen response and these signals can be measured through serology blood tests. However other signals, such as swelling and pain, are very difficult to interpret because they could have a number of causes originating from any body part. As researchers develop more understanding of the lymph system, care providers will have more tools to diagnose and treat illness.

References

Richtel, M. (2019). What makes your immune system an elegant defense? [Podcast]. The People’s Pharmacy, show 1170. Available at: https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/show-1170-what-makes-your-immune-system-an-elegant-defense/

Maman, E. et al. (2007). Musculoskeletal manifestations of cat scratch disease. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 45, 1535-1540. https://doi.org/10.1086/523587https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/45/12/1535/302797?fbclid=IwAR2vMLyqMIgbTUvZO-uczguDZ2PES5lZG46XLlqJ5AfldYZAcml47vcDL-Y

Stepanić, M. et al. (2019). First isolation and genotyping of Bartonella henselae from a cat living with a patient with cat scratch disease in Southeats Europe. BMC Infectious Diseases, 19(1), 299. doi:10.1186/s12879-019-39290z https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30940084

Woo, M. et al. (2018). A case of retinal vessel occlusion caused by Bartonella infection. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 33(47), e297. doi:10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e297 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6236082/

National Institutes of Health. (2017, October 17). Brain cleaning system uses lymphatic vessels. NIH Research Matters. Available at: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/brain-cleaning-system-uses-lymphatic-vessels

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**Comment**

My husband and I were both ones infected with Bartonella without the lymph node swelling, but we had plenty of musculoskeletal pain. We also had the excruciating bottom of the foot pain that felt like someone beat our feet with a hammer. There were times when ligaments in our ankles would hurt and make us limp. Also, remember Bartonella has been behind many psychological symptoms: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/24/cat-scratch-disease-caused-teens-schizophrenia-like-symptoms-report-says/

See these rheumatological symptoms caused by Bartonella: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/09/rheumatological-presentation-of-bartonella-koehlerae-henselae-a-case-report-chiropractors-please-read/  This patient had joint popping with each articulation and continual joint subluxation issue.  

A good reminder that while you may be lucky enough to have “hallmark” symptoms, some are more subtle.

For more on Bartonella symptoms and treatment (checklist included): https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/

Category:

Bartonella, Uncategorized

Researchers at Upstate Medical University Collect CNY Ticks For Testing in a Pilot Study

https://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/researchers-at-upstate-medical-university-collect-cny-ticks-for-testing-in-a-pilot-study/ News Video Here

Researchers at Upstate Medical University collect CNY ticks for testing in a pilot study

LOCAL NEWS

by:

Posted:

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A team of researchers with Thangamani Lab at Upstate Medical University have begun a multi-year pilot project studying the ticks in the Central New York region.

They’re trying to figure out which species of ticks are in the area, what they’re carrying, and how those infections impact a person’s health and their treatment.

“The deer ticks, they transmit 7 different pathogens,” said lead researcher, Saravanan Thangamani. “Almost 60% of ticks collected in Onondaga County are positive for Borrelia burgdorferi. That is the agent for Lyme disease.”

Some of the ticks also carry infections like Powassan virus, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella.

One of the goals of this 3-5 year study is to understand what happens if a tick bites someone when it’s carrying more than one infection.

“Does it make the Lyme disease worse, does it make the Powassan worse, or it doesn’t do neither?” asks Thangamani.

Researchers are also trying to track down the ticks’ path. To do so, they’re asking anyone who gets bit by a tick to mail it in for free testing.

“Send us the zip code so we know which zip code has particular pathogen prevalence and then does it change over time,” said Thangamani.

To have a tick tested, put it in a zip-lock bag with a moist towelette with the following information:

  • The date
  • Location
  • If the tick was found on a human or pet
  • Your email

More info:  https://thangamani-lab.com/free-tick-testing

You can mail the tick to:

Thangamani Lab
505 Irving Avenue
Suite 4209
SUNY Center for Environmental Health and Medicine
SUNY Upstate Medical Center
Syracuse, NY 13210
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**Comment**

I called and they stated anyone can utilize their FREE tick testing. 
They will send you the results of what pathogens were found.

Category:

Activism, Bartonella, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, Testing, Ticks, Viruses

Cat Scratch Disease: Vet Suffers Extreme Fatigue For a Decade After Catching Rare, Severe Case of Bartonella Infection (That Isn’t Rare)

https://www.newsweek.com/cat-scratch-disease-vet-suffers-extreme-fatigue-decade-after-catching-rare-severe-case-1444715

CAT SCRATCH DISEASE: VET SUFFERS EXTREME FATIGUE FOR A DECADE AFTER CATCHING RARE, SEVERE CASE OF BARTONELLA INFECTION

BY

A vet has been left suffering with extreme fatigue for almost a decade, after she caught an infection from a cat scratch which caused symptoms so severe she thought she was going blind or had a brain tumor.

A flea-infested cat scratched Victoria Altoft, 41, from the county of Somerset in south west England, while she was at work in the fall of 2010, PA Real Life reported.

Weeks later, Altoft’s muscles and joints were in pain and she was hit by night sweats, leading her to assume she had the flu. She was “utterly exhausted” and took the uncharacteristic decision to take two weeks off work.

“I just couldn’t get out of bed,” she told PA Real Life. As time passed, her joints swelled up, which her doctor put down to post-viral inflammation.

But Altoft became worried when her vision started to blur. She went for an emergency eye appointment, and medics thought her symptoms could be caused by a brain tumor or the condition multiple sclerosis, which affects the central nervous system.

Tests revealed she was suffering a rare Bartonella infection, and doctors prescribed her with antibiotics: the treatment given to serious cases of the condition.

black cat kitten pet animal stock getty
Cat scratch disease can be passed on by infected pets. GETTY

The bacteria is carried by infected fleas which live on animals like cats or dogs. Lice and sandflies are also vectors of the Bartonella group of bacteria which can cause cat scratch disease, as well as Carrion’s disease (only found in the Andes Mountains), and trench fever (most often present in people who live in areas of poverty with poor sanitation).

In most people, cat scratch disease doesn’t require treatment and fades by itself in between two to four months. But severe cases require antibiotic treatment.

Symptoms materialize several days or weeks after the bacteria invades the body. After three to 10 days, a painless raised red spot might appear on the skin where the infection passed through the skin. Over time this may become filled with fluid, with a crust forming before it heals. The lymph nodes near the site of infection might become swollen, red and hot to the touch, and puss-filled. Other symptoms include a general feeling of illness, headache, fatigue, and fever and—less often—sore throat and weight loss.

It took a year for her sight to return to normal. Altoft told PA Real Life she still suffers from fatigue despite being scratched in 2010.

“To this day, it’s difficult to know exactly what the long-lasting effects of contracting Bartonella are, as there is so little research, but I know I’m not the same now as I was before it happened,” she said.

Altoft is working with the Big Flea project run by the University of Bristol and the pharmaceutical company MSD Animal Health, who are researching the parasites which affect dogs and cats in the U.K.

The vet urged pet owners to take flea infestations seriously as they can pose a serious threat to human health.

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**Comment**

First off, Bartonella is NOT RARE.

Second, someone PLEASE cut the nails on that cat!

For many, many people Bartonella is NOT something that, “fades by itself in between two to four months.”

Bartonella is a particularly tenacious infection that can cause so many symptoms it boggles the mind. Couple it with Lyme disease and you are one sick dog. Throw in Babesia, and you are in bed for a long, long time.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/24/human-bartonellosis-an-underappreciated-public-health-problem/Excerpt from full-text

KNOWN DISEASES CAUSED BY BARTONELLA INFECTIONS INCLUDE:
  • Carrion’s disease
  • cat-scratch disease
  • chronic lymphadenopathy
  • trench fever
  • chronic bacteraemia
  • culture-negative endocarditis
  • bacilliary angiomatosis
  • bacilliary peliosis
  • vasculitis
  • uveitis [1,2,4,6,7,9,10,11].
RECENTLY, BARTONELLA INFECTIONS HAVE BEEN LINKED TO MORE DIVERSE MANIFESTATIONS SUCH AS:
  • hallucinations
  • weight loss
  • muscle fatigue
  • partial paralysis
  • pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS)
  • other neurological manifestations [6,8,10].

Regarding vectors, it’s far more than fleas, lice, and sandflies:

Bartonella spp. are zoonotic pathogens transmitted from mammals to humans through a variety of insect vectors including the sand fly, cat fleas, and human body louse [4,5]. New evidence suggests that ticks, red ants, and spiders can also transmit Bartonella [15,16,17,18]. Bed bugs have been implicated in the transmission cycle of B. quintana and have been artificially infected [19]. B. quintana was found in bed bug feces for up to 18 days postinfection [19]. The diversity of newly discovered Bartonella species, the large number and ecologically diverse animal reservoir hosts, and the large spectrum of arthropod vectors that can transmit these bacteria among animals and humans are major causes for public health concern.

Regarding ticks….

3.3 Arachnids (Spiders &Ticks)

Over the last 10 years, the topic of ticks transmitting Bartonella species has been widely debated. Evidence exists to support the transmission of Bartonella through many different species of ticks.

Ixodid ticks, also known as hard ticks, appear to be the main type of tick associated with these bacteria. Tick cell lines have been used to show that Bartonella can replicate and survive within:

  • Amblyoma americanum (Lone Star Tick)
  • Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Brown Dog Tick)
  • Ixodes scapularis cells [77] (Deer Tick)

In California, questing ticks of

  • Ixodes pacificus (Western Black legged Tick)
  • Dermacentor occidentalis (Pacific Coast Tick)
  • Dermacentor variabilis (American Dog Tick)

were collected when in the adult and nymphal stages and tested for Bartonella by PCR for the citrate synthase gene. [78]. All types of ticks were found to contain Bartonella DNA, although in varying percentages and locations.These data alone do not prove that ticks can transmit Bartonella spp. Bacteria; however, the results do show Bartonella DNA occurring naturally in these wild ticks.

I know researchers are currently working on the link between Bartonella and cancer. Recently a young boy was diagnosed with schizophrenia but was found to have Bartonella:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/24/cat-scratch-disease-caused-teens-schizophrenia-like-symptoms-report-says/

All you have to do is type “Bartonella” into the search bar on this website and let your fingers do the walking.  Bartonella is HUGE and quite common.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/07/fox-news-bartonella-is-the-new-lyme-disease/

More on Bartonella: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/

It’s a killer:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3044516/#!po=1.02041

Look at the pictures of what it did to this woman:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/28/woman-wakes-up-with-black-eye-swollen-face-after-cat-scratch-that-left-her-on-iv-drip-for-four-days/I assure you – this would not have faded on its own….

Lastly, Dr. Ericson has incredible imaging showing Bartonella surviving around tissues where a PIC line pumped antibiotics directly into the body:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/27/advanced-imaging-found-bartonella-around-pic-line/

Trust me.  You don’t want this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Bartonella, Inflammation, Transmission

Other Arthropod-Borne Bacteria Causing Nonmalarial Fever in Ethiopia

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31184993/

2019 Jun 10. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2396. [Epub ahead of print]

Arthropod-Borne Bacteria Cause Nonmalarial Fever in Rural Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study in 394 Patients.

Ramos JM1,2, Pérez-Tanoira R1,3, Martín-Martín I1,4, Prieto-Pérez L1,3, Tefasmariam A1, Tiziano G1, Escudero R5, Gil-Zamorano J5, Gil-Gil H5, Górgolas M1,3,6, Jado I5.

Abstract

Bacterial arthropod-borne pathogens are a common cause of fever in Africa, but their precise impact is unknown and usually underdiagnosed in the basic rural laboratories of low-resourced African countries. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of arthropod-borne bacterial diseases causing fever among malaria smear-negative patients in a rural hospital located in Ethiopia. The study population included patients aged 2 years or older; referred to Gambo Rural General Hospital (West Arsi, Ethiopia), between July and November 2013, for fever or report of fever in the previous 48 h; attending the outpatient department; and testing negative for malaria by Giemsa-stained thin blood smears. We extracted DNA from 394 whole blood samples, using reverse line blot assays of amplicons to look for bacteria from the genera: Anaplasma, Bartonella, Borrelia, Coxiella, Ehrlichia, Francisella, and Rickettsia.

Thirteen patients showed presence of DNA for these pathogens: three each by Borrelia spp., the Francisella group (F. tularensis tularensis, F. tularensis holartica, and F. novicia), Rickettsia bellii, and Rickettsia Felis, and one by Bartonella rochalimae. Thus, in this rural area of Africa, febrile symptoms could be due to bacteria transmitted by arthropods. Further studies are needed to evaluate the pathogenic role of R. bellii.

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**Comment**

What if some of this is mosquito-borne as well? We frankly don’t know because the transmission studies are screaming to be done.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/are-mosquitoes-transmitting-lyme-disease/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/12/wolbachia-laced-mosquitoes-being-released-why-lyme-msids-patients-might-be-negatively-affected/

 

 

 

 

Category:

Bartonella, Lyme, Rickettsia, Tularemia

Retinal Vessel Occlusion Caused by Bartonella Infection

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6236082/

. 2018 Nov 19; 33(47): e297.
Published online 2018 Oct 29. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e297
PMCID: PMC6236082
PMID: 31044568

A Case of Retinal Vessel Occlusion Caused by Bartonella Infection

Minji Woo,1 Somin Ahn,1 Joon Young Song,2 and Seong-Woo Kimcorresponding author1
Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer
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A 29-year-old female visited the emergency room with sudden visual loss in the right eye started on the same day. She had been suffering from fever for two days. A best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.5/0.7 in the Snellen chart. Fundus examination (Fig. 1) showed multiple retinal hemorrhages. Severe vascular sheaths around the optic disc area were present in the right eye. Candle-wax-dripping sign in the superior hemisphere were found in the left eye.

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On systemic examination, erythema of the lower extremities (Fig. 1C) and right inguinal lymph node enlargement were discovered. With systemic doxycycline (100 mg) and gentamicin (90 mg) administration, fever subsided after three days. Bartonella infection was confirmed after 10 days with in-house indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA) analysis (immunoglobulin G; cutoff points for seropositive titer at 1:64). Lymph node biopsy showed necrotizing granulomatous lymphadenitis (Fig. 1D). On the same day, the BCVA decreased to hand motion in the right eye. When asked, she could not specify when the vision loss began. The candle-wax-dripping sign in the left eye had progressed to vascular sheath with flame-shaped hemorrhages. Fluorescein angiography shows a rack of filling of the retinal arteries. Blocked fluorescence by retinal hemorrhage was found in the whole area of right eye and in the superotemporal quadrant of left eye. Inner-retinal hyper-reflectivity of the right eye and cystoid macular edema in the left eye were revealed (Fig. 2). The impression was central retinal artery and vein occlusion for the right eye and branch retinal artery and vein occlusion for the left eye, associated with severe vasculitis secondary to Bartonella infection. The patient was treated with a systemic methylprednisolone 500 mg, anticoagulant (Enoxaparin sodium 60 mg) and Rifampin (300 mg). Three month after disease onset, the BCVA in the right eye improved to 0.1. For photographs and medical records that consisted possible identification of the patient, a consent form was obtained from the patient for use of publication.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Professor Jin-Soo Lee, Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine, for his help with the in-house IFA analysis.

Footnotes

Funding: This research was supported by the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Korean government, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIP) (NRF-2017M3A9E2056458).

Disclosure: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Contributed by

Author Contributions: Conceptualization: Woo M, Kim SW. Investigation: Woo M, Ahn S. Writing – original draft: Woo M. Writing – review & editing: Ahn S, Song JY, Kim SW.

References

1. Kwon HY, Im JH, Lee SM, Baek JH, Durey A, Park SG, et al. The seroprevalence of Bartonella henselae in healthy adults in Korea. Korean J Intern Med. 2017;32(3):530–535. [PMC free article][PubMed] []
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Category:

Bartonella, Eye Issues, research, Treatment