BartonellaInfections: Bacillary Angiomatosis, Cat Scratch Disease and Bartonellosis

Diseases caused by the organisms of the genus Bartonella encompass a broad range of diseases including bacillary angiomatosis, cat scratch disease and bartonellosis. Bacillary angiomatosis is an infectious disease characterized by vascular papules and nodules primarily in immunocompromised people caused by the species B. quintana and B. henselae. Cat scratch disease is an infectious disease also caused primarily by B. henselae characterized by self-limited regional lymphadenopathy occurring after a cat scratch or bite distal to the affected node. Bartonellosis is a disease caused by B. bacilliformis and limited geographically to certain areas of the Andean regions of Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. Bartonellosis occurs in acute and chronic phases, known as Oroya fever and verruga peruana respectively.