Volume 16, Number 4—April 2010
Letter
Bartonella spp. Infections, Thailand
Saithip Bhengsri
, Henry C. Baggett, Leonard F. Peruski, Christina Morway, Ying Bai, Tamara L. Fisk, Anussorn Sitdhirasdr, Susan A. Maloney, Scott F. Dowell, and Michael Y. Kosoy
, Henry C. Baggett, Leonard F. Peruski, Christina Morway, Ying Bai, Tamara L. Fisk, Anussorn Sitdhirasdr, Susan A. Maloney, Scott F. Dowell, and Michael Y. Kosoy
Table
Demographic and clinical characteristics of febrile patients with Bartonella infection compared with febrile patients who had no evidence of Bartonella infection, Thailand, 2002–2003*
| Variables | No. (%) Bartonella-infected case-patients,† n = 57 | No. (%) non–case-patients,‡ n = 193 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age, y (range) | 19 (7–72) | 20 (7–79) | 0.9 |
| Male sex |
37 (64.9) |
113 (58.5) |
0.4 |
| Occupation | |||
| Student | 27 (47.4) | 84 (43.5) | 0.6 |
| Rice farmer | 20 (35.1) | 40 (20.7) | 0.03 |
| Business | 3 (5.3) | 13 (6.7) | 0.7 |
| Other§ |
7 (12.3) |
56 (29.0) |
0.01 |
| Signs and symptoms | |||
| Headache | 44 (77.2) | 161 (83.4) | 0.3 |
| Eye pain | 17 (29.8) | 58 (30.1) | 1.0 |
| Myalgias | 47 (82.5) | 141 (73.1) | 0.1 |
| Extremity pain | 39 (68.4) | 115 (59.6) | 0.2 |
| Joint pain | 26 (45.6) | 74 (38.3) | 0.3 |
| Vomiting | 22 (38.6) | 80 (41.5) | 0.7 |
| Abdominal pain | 12 (21.1) | 64 (33.2) | 0.08 |
| Rash | 7 (12.3) | 17 (8.8) | 0.6 |
| Lymphadenopathy |
9 (15.8) |
24 (12.4) |
0.5 |
| Laboratory results | |||
| Anemia (Hb <13 mg/dL) | 30 (60.0) | 93 (50.3) | 0.2 |
| Thrombocyte count <100,000/mm3 | 5 (8.9) | 14 (7.4) | 0.7 |
| Leukopenia (leukocytes <5,000/mm3) | 10 (17.5) | 63 (32.6) | 0.03 |
| Leukocytosis (leukocytes >11,000/mm3) | 20 (35.1) | 33 (17.1) | <0.01 |
| Creatinine >1.5 mg/dL | 5 (8.9) | 12 (6.2) | 0.5 |
| Bilirubin >1.3 mg/dL | 6 (10.7) | 19 (9.8) | 0.8 |
| Alkaline phosphatase >121 IU/L | 36 (64.3) | 132 (68.8) | 0.5 |
| AST >36 IU/dL | 18 (32.1) | 88 (45.6) | 0.07 |
| ALT >36 IU/dL | 9 (16.1) | 50 (25.9) | 0.1 |
*Hb, hemoglobin; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase.
†Excluded Bartonella-infected patients with serologic evidence of infection with other common pathogens (dengue virus, Leptospira, or Burkholderia pseudomallei; n = 35).
‡Febrile patients with acute-phase and convalescent-phase immunoglobulin G titer against Bartonella species <128.
§Other occupation includes housewife, government officer, day laborer, or construction worker.
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