Healthy People: At present there are 30 named Bartonella species and 3 subspecies. Bartonella are mainly transmitted to mammalian reservoir host species via arthropod ectoparasite vectors such as fleas, ticks, lice and biting flies. An excellent review of the worldwide distribution of the 30 Bartonella species was recently published. Interestingly and fortunately, Bartonella bacilliformis, the ...

Cat-scratch disease (CSD) is a clinical syndrome that usually presents as a self-limiting lymphadenopathy associated with a cat scratch or bite. Commonly affecting children and young adults, it has a worldwide distribution. In temperate climates, higher rates are reported in the autumn and winter, which can be attributed to the seasonal breeding of the domestic cat. The organism responsible was...

There are few epidemiological and clinical studies about the presence of cat scratch disease (CSD) on the island of Crete. The objective of this study was to analyze a large number of patients with suspected CSD to define the frequency of Bartonella infections in Crete. From January 2005 to October 2008, we studied patients with suspected CSD from hospitals in Crete. Sera of the referred patien...