Prevalence of Bartonella henselae infection in patients with Chagas disease

• Grant number: 24/15458-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Cláudio Martins
• Grantee: Felipe Henrique Valverde
• Host Institution: Hospital de Clínicas (HC). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Bartonelloses are mostly zoonotic diseases caused by bacteria of the genus Bartonella; some of their hematophagous vectors are associated with each of the classic manifestations in humans: bacillary angiomatosis, cat scratch disease, Carrion's disease, and trench fever. Bartonella species are also recognized as causative agents of endocarditis. However, infection by these bacteria has been associated with several other manifestations: fever of unknown origin, myocarditis, arrhythmias, hepatitis, osteomyelitis, retinitis, among others. In 2012, a study identified an increased likelihood of detecting Bartonella spp. DNA in patients with cardiomyopathy due to Chagas disease (CD) and in those with positive CD serology but without clinical manifestations of Trypanosoma cruzi infection (indeterminate CD). Since CD is a neglected disease with cardiac and/or digestive manifestations, endemic in Brazil and other tropical regions, with an estimated 8 million infected individuals, more studies on coinfections with T. cruzi are necessary, which may partially explain the clinical diversity of the parasite infection. The present study aims to assess the prevalence of Bartonella spp. infection in patients with CD. For this purpose, liquid and solid cultures and molecular analysis of blood samples from CD patients treated at the Internal Medicine outpatient clinic of the Hospital das Clínicas of UNICAMP will be used, and the prevalence of detection will be compared with blood donors seronegative for CD at the Blood Center of the same institution.