Published by the University of
Chicago Press
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Title |
Bartonella quintana Bacteremia among
Homeless People |
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Author(s)
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C. Foucault, K. Barrau, P. Brouqui, and D.
Raoult |
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Identifiers
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Clinical Infectious Diseases,
volume 35 (2002), pages 684–689
DOI: 10.1086/342065
PubMed ID: 12203165
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Availability
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This site:
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HTML |
PDF (101.8k) |
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Copyright
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© 2002, the Infectious Diseases Society of
America. |
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Abstract
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Bartonella quintana infections have
recently reemerged, predominantly among the homeless populations in cities
in both Europe and the United States. B. quintana can cause trench
fever, endocarditis, and chronic bacteremia; the human body louse is the
only known vector. Homeless people who presented to the emergency
departments of University Hospital in Marseilles, France, were studied, as
were those who had been admitted to other medical facilities in the city
since 1 January 1997. Samples of blood and body lice were collected for
culture for B. quintana and for serological testing. Bartonella
bacteremia was associated with sweats, evidence of louse infestation,
serological tests that were positive for B. quintana, and high titers
of B. quintana antibody. Bacteremia was also associated with being
homeless for <3 years. Asymptomatic, prolonged bacteremia (duration, up to
78 weeks) and intermittent bacteremia were found to occur. Data obtained
regarding antibiotic regimens showed that treatment with gentamicin and
doxycycline was effective in preventing relapses of bacteremia. |
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?id=doi:10.1086/342065
|
