Galaxy Radar – Week of June 10, 2024

Bartonella in Patients with Psychosis

Bartonella Species Bacteremia in Association with Adult Psychosis – S Delaney et al. publishing from Columbia University, New York State Psychiatric Institute, North Carolina State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison – Researchers at NCSU performed ddPCR testing for Bartonella on patients with psychosis, finding that 43% of the study sample were positive for Bartonella, with five species identified: B. henselae, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, B. quintana, B. alsatica and B. rochalimae. Galaxy Diagnostics scientists were among the coauthors of this study.

Bartonella DNA Found in Blood of Patients with Psychosis by T Peake on NC State University News – Read more about the study, including comments from Dr. Breitschwerdt, NCSU professor and cofounder of Galaxy Diagnostics.

Bringing Bartonellosis to Major Media: Swamp Boy – In 2019, Galaxy Diagnostics co-founders Edward B. Breitschwerdt and Ricardo G. Maggi and medical director B. Robert Mozayeni, along with consulting physicians and others at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, published a clinical case report that became known as “Swamp Boy.” The patient was a young man who developed psychotic symptoms that lasted for 18 months and did not respond to conventional treatments for mental illness and autoimmune disease. After testing positive for Bartonella henselae, he improved with antibiotic treatment.

Find out more about ddPCR technology used in the Galaxy Diagnostics Bartonella Digital ePCR test.

Bartonella and Leprosy Co-infection

Leprosy, also called Hansen’s disease, has had some mysterious features for thousands of years. Some people who become infected with one of the Mycobacterium species that cause it develop severe symptoms. What makes the difference?

Following up on a study of chronic type 2 leprosy reaction, a research team in Brazil has now looked at chronic type 1 leprosy reaction. In both studies of small numbers of patients, about 40% of the patients with these symptoms also had Bartonella species infection.

Co-infections are not necessarily the sum of their parts. They can have more complex relationships, creating unique disease presentations. This may be part of the story of leprosy.

Bartonella henselae DNA Detection in Patients with Type 1 Leprosy Reactions for More than Six Months by LSD Santos et al. publishing from UNICAMP, PUC-Campinas and Universidade de Uberlândia in Brazil

Bartonella henselae as a Putative Trigger for Chronic Type 2 Leprosy Reactions by LSD Santos et al. publishing from UNICAMP and Universidade Federal de Uberlândia in Brazil

Lyme Disease Diagnosis Disparities

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Lyme Disease in the United States by LH Gould, A Fathalla, JC Moïsi and JH Stark publishing from Pfizer Biopharma Group – A study of racial disparities in Lyme disease diagnosis in the United States includes the observation that racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to be diagnosed in the fall rather than the summer, perhaps because of delayed diagnosis of their infections.

What’s a Negative Anaplasmosis Test Good For?

Emerging Tick-Borne Infections in the Upper Midwest and Northeast United States Among Patients With Suspected Anaplasmosis by ME Reller, EG Clemens, JS Bakken & JS Dumler publishing from Johns Hopkins, St. Luke’s Hospital, Duluth, and Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences – How do you identify emerging tick-borne pathogens if you don’t know who or when to test for them? A study of 568 patients with ruled-out anaplasmosis suggests that suspected tick-borne disease patients may be a place to start with broad pathogen detection.

Flea, Tick, and Pathogen Monitoring

Vector Borne Disease Lab at NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine Flea Collection – In collaboration with the University of Wisconsin, the lab is asking you to collect fleas, especially those associated with blood tests sent to the Vector Borne Disease Lab. At the link in the title, scroll down to the second text box for more information about how you can participate.

A Next Generation Sequencing Assay Combining Ixodes Species Identification with Pathogen Detection to Support Tick Surveillance Efforts in the United States by LM Osikowicz, SE Maes, RJ Eisen and A Hojgaard publishing from the US CDC – Description of an NGS assay that would allow for tick screening programs to include a test for tick species.

Potential Drivers of Vector-Borne Pathogens in Urban Environments: European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in the Spotlight by A Springer et al. publishing from Germany and the Netherlands – European hedgehogs are a beloved part of the urban environment, often taken to rehabilitation centers when found injured. In a new study, tests of rehabilitating hedgehogs showed that they are a sentinel for One Health disease risks in these areas.

Increasing Threat of Babesiosis in the US

Cases of Babesiosis, a Deadly Tickborne Disease, Are On the Rise in New England by D Farrell on WGBH – Babesiosis, a tick-borne infection, is increasing in New England. In the case highlighted in the article, an older woman without a spleen was given three alternative diagnoses before tick-borne pathogen testing revealed babesiosis.

Once Called Nantucket Fever, This Nasty Tick-Borne Illness is on the Rise by A Aubrey on NPR Morning Edition – Some patients require repeated rounds of treatment. Now, a multicenter US clinical trial is starting that uses the malaria treatment tafenoquine.

Ehrlichiosis Information

Clinical Overview of Ehrlichiosis by the US CDC – The webpage on ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne disease caused by three species of Ehrlichia in the United States.

Women & Health Care

Drug-Resistant Infections More Likely to Strike Women, Says WHO by C Wong publishing in Nature – A global review of drug-resistant infections by the WHO has added four species to the list of drug-resistant pathogens that endanger human health and evaluated the response to the fact that drug-resistant pathogens are more likely to affect women.

An Older Woman’s Chronic Pain is Not ‘All in Her Head’ by J Taylor in MedPage Today – When an older woman develops chronic pain, her nurse daughter experiences the limitations placed on pain management and the cost when patients’ goals are not the center of pain management choices. In the comments, physicians discuss being caught in a “squeeze play” between treatment guidelines and legal enforcement that interfere with treatment and patients’ rights to appropriate treatment.

Webinars Available

Advancing Data Sharing to Strengthen One Health Effectiveness: A Webinar Series by the National Academies – The first webinar, held on June 11, was hosted by the Forum on Microbial Threats.

Pathogenic Bacteria Carried by Cat Fleas by Erin Lashnits, MS, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM) on Invisible International – Medical professionals are provided with comprehensive knowledge about the risks associated with infections transmitted by cat fleas. 0.5 CME.

Galaxy Diagnostics Calendar

Closed Wednesday, June 19, to commemorate Juneteenth – Please do not ship samples on Tuesday, June 18. Staff will be back in the office Thursday, June 20.

The Alzheimer’s Pathobiome Initiative Symposium on July 27, 2024 – Edward Breitschwerdt, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), will be presenting with Janice Bush, CVM, on “Bartonella henselae, Neurobartonellosis and Alzheimer’s Disease: Is there a link?”