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Volume 16, Number 4—April 2010
Letter

Bartonella spp. Infections, Thailand

Saithip BhengsriComments to Author , 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
Author affiliations: Thailand Minstry of Public Health–US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi, Thailand (S. Bhengsri, H.C. Baggett, L.F. Peruski Jr, T.L. Fisk, S.A. Maloney); Thailand Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi (A. Sitdhirasdr); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (S.F. Dowell); Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA (C. Morway, Y. Bai, M. Kosoy).

Main Article

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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Page created: December 23, 2010
Page updated: December 23, 2010
Page reviewed: December 23, 2010
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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