| By :
Patricia Strasser
Though only recently discovered by medical professionals and epidemiologists, bartonella is an infection that should not be discounted by any means. The species of bacteria that causes the infection can affect both animals and humans. It is important to have some knowledge about Bartonella, as nine species of this bacterium have been found to affect humans. The infection has a possibility of multiple carriers Since bartonella is relatively new, there is not a lot of information on how it is spread. According to the opinion of experts in the field, the major cause of this infection are fleas, ticks and lice. The Journal of Medical Microbiology informs us that the main source of this infection is a flea-infested European rat. On the other hand, the California Lyme Disease Association suggests that cats are the carriers. The likelihood that bartonella has many different carriers is great since both people and animals can suffer from this infection. All the symptoms have not been discovered yet The most common symptoms of bartonella are fever, headache, poor appetite, fatigue and the appearance of an unusual rash. Typical symptoms include swelling in the glands located in the head, arms and neck, which we know thanks to the California Lyme Disease Association. Physicians have also noted that some patients suffer from symptoms like pain in the lower abdomen, sore throats and soles, gastritis and tenderness in the nodules of the skin. Apart from these common symptoms, Medscape Today identified additional atypical signs that include distorted or blurred vision, abdominal pain, severe abnormalities in the tissues of the spleen and liver, boils, arthritis, neurological disorders and conditions involving the tissues and valves of the heart. There is a possible link between the infection and acute psychiatric disorders The symptoms of Bartonella include anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. Researchers, James Schaller and Glenn Burkland, think that this connection to psychiatric conditions and bartonella infection can happen because of the neurological ailments that have been diagnosed as signs and real reports that patients made. Certain ailments are very difficult to diagnose An accurate diagnosis of the bartonella infection is hard to make since the symptoms have not been completely determined. Also, when the two most common bartonella strains are tested their results are not consistent. Additional drawbacks include background on the disease and uncertainty about the transmission. Bartonella is commonly treated with antibiotics Typical treatments for bartonella are antibiotics such as azithromycin, doxycycline, erthromycin and levofloxican. As for patients suffering from anxiety or depression caused by the infection, they are administered with anti-depressants and anti-anxiety treatments. Patients infected with bartonella are thought require higher dosages prescriptions of mental health medications, a postulation put forth by Schaller and Burkland. In addition, it has been observed that once antibiotics have successfully cleared up the Bartonella infection, the associated psychiatric symptoms are also eliminated. Even though there is still doubt concerning bartonella infection, learning about it and staying current can be a good way to protect yourself.
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