Bartonella henselae
| Bartonella henselae | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Bartonella henselae (Regnery et al. 1992) |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
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Overview
Bartonella henselae is a proteobacterium that can cause bacteremia, endocarditis, bacillary angiomatosis, and peliosis hepatis. It is also the causative agent of cat-scratch disease (Bartonellosis) which, as the name suggests, occurs after a cat bite or scratch. The disease is characterized by lymphadenopathy (swelling of the lymph nodes) and fever.
Peliosis hepatis caused by B. henselae can occur alone or develop with cutaneous bacillary angiomatosis or bacteremia. Patients with peliosis hepatitis present with gastrointestinal symptoms, fever, chills, and an enlarged liver and spleen containing blood-filled cavities. This systemic disease is seen in patients infected with HIV and other immunocompromised individuals.
Bartonella henselae is a member of the class of the Bartonella genus, one of the most common type of bacteria in the world.