In this blog, we will look at the many symptoms of Bartonella. You will learn:

• What Bartonella is and what causes it
• What are the full range of symptoms and diseases that the Bartonella bacteria can cause
• What is the mechanism of action of the Bartonella bacteria

Do you know what Bartonella is? Do you or your clients know what the symptoms of Bartonellosis are? If you want to know more about this growing threat and how to best optimize the health of your clients, then this blog is for you. Please read on for answers!  

Do you get stuck clinically with chronic symptoms in your patients?  Would you like to have a larger impact on improving your clients’ issues? 

The key to optimal health is an individual approach using nutrition, lifestyle and exercise. To improve your patients’ quality of life, you need to identify and address the root causes. Our functional medicine course will teach you how to do this. Look into our functional medicine school to have a greater impact on improving your client’s lives.

** Please note: If you want the short summary version of this article, then please click here ** 

What is Bartonella?

Bartonella is a bacterium that causes the disease Bartonellosis. 

It can infect humans and animals, including cats and dogs, and cause Bartonellosis. In recent years, Bartonella infections are reported to be on the rise (Álvarez-Fernández A, 2018). Bartonella can be transmitted to anyone in direct contact with the insects (including ticks) and animals (typically cats and dogs) that transmit Bartonella (de Almeida Lins K, 2019).

What we call the Bartonella bacteria is actually approx. 16 different bacterial species (Columbia Univ., 2022). In total, 38 different Bartonella species have been identified (Columbia Univ., 2022). And 16 species of Bartonella are pathogenic and known to cause disease in humans (Álvarez-Fernández A, 2018). 

Three species are thought to be responsible for the majority of Bartonella illness (de Almeida Lins K, 2019): 

• Bartonella bacilliformis
• Bartonella quintana
• Bartonella henselae 

Bartonella bacteria can cause many health issues. It is sometimes asymptomatic and causes no symptoms, especially in someone with a strong immune system. On the other extreme, it can be potentially fatal (de Almeida Lins K, 2019). 

The Varied Symptoms of Bartonella include: (NORD, 2020), (Breitschwerdt EB, 2008) and (CDC, 2020)

• General symptoms: fatigue, insomnia, nausea, memory loss and/or disorientation, loss of coordination, poor appetite, skin pustule (similar to a pimple) at the site of the bite or scratch 
• Immune symptoms: swollen lymph nodes, frequent sore throats, fevers 
• Neurological symptoms: headaches/ migraines, numbness & tingling in hands & feet, tremors, seizures, vertigo
• Psychological symptoms: cognitive issues, slower mental processing speed, hallucinations, disconnection/dissociation, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, agitation, mood swings
• Musculoskeletal symptoms: pain in the soles of the feet, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bone pain, joint hypermobility, muscle weakness, muscle twitching
• Blood symptoms: anemia
• Visual symptoms: blurred vision
• Skin symptoms: stretch marks (especially horizontal on back and hips)
• Abdominal symptoms: enlarged liver and spleen, pain under the ribcage, liver cysts
• Cardiovascular symptoms: endocarditis, palpitations

Which Different Diseases does the Bartonella Bacteria Cause? 

Bartonella can potentially cause disease in humans: 

• Cat scratch disease (CSD): Cat scratch disease is the most well-known disease caused by the Bartonella henselae species of Bartonella bacteria. Often, healthy people don’t develop any symptoms. People with a mild infection usually get better without any treatment. Although rare, CSD can cause people to have serious complications. CSD can affect the brain, eyes, heart or other organs. These complications are rare, require treatment and are more likely to occur in children and people with weakened immune systems (CDC, 2020).
• Carrion’s disease: Carrion’s disease is an infection caused by the Bartonella bacilliformis species. In its acute phase, it can be serious and life-threatening, especially for people with weaker immunity, such as children. It is currently primarily limited to Peru, Ecuador and Colombia (de Almeida Lins K, 2019).
• Trench fever: Trench fever or quintana fever is a recurring 5-day fever caused by the Bartonella quintana species. The episodes of fever typically become less severe over time. The mortality rate of trench fever is low (ECDPC, 2022). It is currently common among the homeless, alcoholics and AIDS patients. Outbreaks have occurred in Seattle and Baltimore among injection drug users (ECDPC, 2022).
• Endocarditis: Endocarditis is a life-threatening inflammation of the lining of the heart. It is usually caused by an infection, when germs enter the blood and travel to the heart. It is often bacterial. Bartonella can cause Bartonella endocarditis, similar to other cases of bacterial endocarditis. Symptoms include fever, fatigue and weight loss (Okaro U, 2017).

Bartonella may be associated with atherosclerosis and some autoimmune conditions. Atherosclerosis is when the arteries have plaque deposits of fatty material. It is thought that Bartonella could be involved in some autoimmune diseases (Okaro U, 2017).