Publications

systemic bartonella henselae infection and crohn's disease treatment with infliximab.		2012	21928372
hemin binding protein c is found in outer membrane vesicles and protects bartonella henselae against toxic concentrations of hemin.	bartonella species are gram-negative, emerging bacterial pathogens found in two distinct environments. in the gut of the obligately hematophagous arthropod vector, bartonellae are exposed to concentrations of heme that are toxic to other bacteria. in the bloodstream of the mammalian host, access to heme and iron are severely restricted. bartonellae have unusually high requirements for heme, which is their only utilizable source of iron. although heme is essential for bartonella survival, little ...	2012	22232189
a new rickettsia species found in fleas collected from human dwellings and from domestic cats and dogs in senegal.	abstract the insects of the order siphonaptera, commonly named fleas, are vectors of pathogens around the world. our previous studies showed that 4.4% of acute febrile diseases in the sine-saloum region of senegal were due to rickettsia felis. the aim of this study was to explain the high prevalence of r. felis infections in two rural senegalese populations by an entomological, systematic monitoring protocol. a total of 232 fleas from three species (ctenocephalides felis, echidnophaga gallinac ...	2012	22214272
intruders below the radar: molecular pathogenesis of bartonella spp.	summary: bartonella spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens that employ a unique stealth infection strategy comprising immune evasion and modulation, intimate interaction with nucleated cells, and intraerythrocytic persistence. infections with bartonella are ubiquitous among mammals, and many species can infect humans either as their natural host or incidentally as zoonotic pathogens. upon inoculation into a naive host, the bartonellae first colonize a primary niche that is widely accepted ...	2012	22232371
identification of a new nanornase in bartonella.	in escherichia coli, only one essential oligoribonuclease (orn) can degrade oligoribonucleotides of five residues and shorter in length (nanorna). in bacillus subtilis, nrna and nrnb, which do not have any sequence similarity with orn, have been identified as functional analogs of orn. sequence comparisons did not allow identifying orn, nrna, or nrnb homologues in the genomes of the chlamydia/cyanobacteria and alphaproteobacteria family members. screening a genomic library from bartonella birtle ...	2012	22262096
bartonella quintana transmission from mite to family with high socioeconomic status.	to the editor: urban trench fever caused by bartonella quintana has been reported in persons who abuse alcohol and in homeless persons in large cities worldwide. symptoms vary from asymptomatic intermittent bacteremia to serious complications (1). pediculus humanus lice, the known vector of the infection, are not always identified, which raises the possibility that other vectors might also be involved (2). we report on an outbreak of b. quintana infection among a young family of high socioeconom ...	2012	22257438
granulomatous hepatitis due to bartonella henselae infection in an immunocompetent patient.	abstract: background: bartonella henselae (b. henselae) is considered a rare cause of granulomatous hepatitis. due to the fastidious growth characteristics of the bacteria, the limited sensitivity of histopathological stains, and the non-specific histological findings on liver biopsy, the diagnosis of hepatic bartonellosis can be difficult to establish. furthermore, the optimal treatment of established hepatic bartonellosis remains controversial. case presentation: we present a case of hepatic ...	2012	22269175
Transmission of flea-borne zoonotic agents (*).	Flea-borne zoonoses such as plague (Yersinia pestis) and murine typhus (Rickettsia typhi) caused significant numbers of human cases in the past and remain a public health concern. Other flea-borne human pathogens have emerged recently (e.g., Bartonella henselae, Rickettsia felis), and their mechanisms of transmission and impact on human health are not fully understood. Our review focuses on the ecology and epidemiology of the flea-borne bacterial zoonoses mentioned above with an emphasis on rece ...	2012	21888520
persistence of bartonella spp. stealth pathogens: from sub-clinical infections to vasoproliferative tumour formation.	bartonella spp. are facultative intracellular bacteria that typically cause a long-lasting intraerythrocytic bacteremia in their mammalian reservoir hosts, thereby favoring transmission by blood-sucking arthropods. in most cases, natural reservoir host infections are subclinical and the relapsing intraerythrocytic bacteremia may last weeks, months or even years. in this review, we will follow the infection cycle of bartonella spp. in a reservoir host, which typically starts with an intradermal i ...	2012	22229763
adenylylation control by intra- or intermolecular active-site obstruction in fic proteins.	fic proteins that are defined by the ubiquitous fic (filamentation induced by cyclic amp) domain are known to catalyse adenylylation (also called ampylation); that is, the transfer of amp onto a target protein. in mammalian cells, adenylylation of small gtpases through fic proteins injected by pathogenic bacteria can cause collapse of the actin cytoskeleton and cell death. it is unknown how this potentially deleterious adenylylation activity is regulated in the widespread fic proteins that are f ...	2012	22266942
Prevalence of antibodies anti-bartonella henselae in Western sicily: children, blood donors, and cats.	To evaluate seroprevalence of B. henselae infection both in Sicilian children and healthy blood donors. Furthermore, circulation of Bartonella in the natural reservoir was also studied. Two hundred forty-three children, living in Sicily (Palermo), affected by various diseases, without clinical features suggesting B. henselae infection, together with 122 healthy blood donors were serologically investigated for IgG and IgM antibodies by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). One hundred twenty ...	2012	22181817