Volume 13, Number 6—June 2007
Dispatch
Bartonella Species in Blood of Immunocompetent Persons with Animal and Arthropod Contact
, Ricardo G. Maggi*, Ashlee W. Duncan*, William L. Nicholson†, Barbara C. Hegarty*, and Christopher W. Woods‡
Table
Selected demographic, epidemiologic, and medical information reported by 14 immunocompetent persons infected with Bartonella henselae or B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii
| Characteristic/symptom | Study participant no. |
Total, N = 14 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | ||
| Sex | F | F | F | F | F | F | M | F | F | F | F | F | M | F | |
| Age, y | 51 | 30 | 48 | 44 | 53 | 50 | 32 | 33 | 48 | 53 | 52 | 39 | 52 | 44 | |
| State of residence | NC | NC | NC | CO | VA | CA | NC | VA | CA | CA | CA | CA | VA | MN | |
| Occupational animal exposure | V | VtA | AHR | V | V | CR | VtA | VtA | VtA | VtA | VtA | V | WB | WB | |
| Daily contact with dogs/cats | Y/Y | Y/N | N/Y | Y/Y | Y/Y | Y/Y | Y/Y | Y/Y | Y/Y | Y/Y | Y/Y | Y/Y | N/Y | Y/Y | |
| Contact with fleas/ticks† | 2/1 | 3/3 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 3/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | 2/2 | 4/4 | 2/4 | 3/1 | 3/2 | NA/3 | 4/3 | |
| Self-health assessment‡ | CI | CI | II | II | II | CI | CI | CI | CI | II | II | CI | II | CI | |
| Fatigue | + | + | – | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | 13 |
| Joint pain | + | + | – | + | + | + | + | – | + | + | + | + | U | 10 | |
| Difficulty sleeping (insomnia) | + | + | – | – | + | – | + | + | + | + | + | + | – | – | 9 |
| Muscle pain | + | + | – | – | U | + | + | – | + | U | + | + | + | 8 | |
| Difficulty remembering | + | + | – | – | + | – | + | + | + | + | + | – | – | U | 8 |
| Loss of sensation or numbness | + | + | + | – | + | – | + | – | + | + | – | U | 7 | ||
| Balance problems | + | – | – | + | + | + | + | – | + | + | – | – | 7 | ||
| Headache | + | + | – | – | + | + | + | – | + | + | U | 7 | |||
| Tremors | + | – | – | – | + | + | – | + | + | + | – | – | 6 | ||
| Irritability | + | – | – | – | + | + | + | + | – | – | + | 6 | |||
| Bowel or bladder dysfunction | + | – | + | + | – | + | – | + | – | + | – | 6 | |||
| Eye pain | + | – | + | + | + | + | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | |||
| Blurred vision | + | – | – | – | + | + | – | + | + | – | – | – | 5 | ||
| Sleepiness | + | – | – | – | + | – | – | + | + | – | – | + | 5 | ||
| Syncope or fainting episodes | + | + | + | – | + | + | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5 | |
| Shortness of breath | + | – | + | – | + | + | – | + | – | – | U | 5 | |||
| Muscle weakness | + | – | – | + | – | + | + | + | – | U | 5 | ||||
*F, female; M, male; NC, North Carolina, CO, Colorado, VA, Virginia; CA, California, MN, Minnesota; V, veterinarian; VtA, veterinary assistant; AHR, animal health researcher; CR, cattle rancher; WB, wildlife biologist; Y, yes; N, no, with respect to the study participant’s daily contact with dogs/cats; CI, chronically ill; II, infrequently ill; +, yes; –, no; blank, no answer reported; U, unknown.
†Reported as frequencies and defined as follows: 1, daily; 2, infrequently (weekly); 3, occasionally (monthly); 4, almost never (yearly).
‡Self-health assessment: As part of the questionnaire, study participants were asked to rate their own health status: healthy, infrequently ill, or chronically ill.