Bartonella infection tied to psychiatric symptoms and skin lesions: Study
Bartonella bacteria are increasingly recognized as an emerging infectious disease threat.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have found additional instances of Bartonella infection in humans who exhibited neuropsychiatric symptoms, a subset of whom also had skin lesions. This research adds to the body of evidence that not only can Bartonella infection mimic a spectrum of chronic illnesses - including mental illness - but also that dermatological symptoms may accompany infection.
Bartonella henselae is a bacterium historically associated with cat-scratch disease, which until recently was thought to be a short-lived (or self-limiting) infection. There are at least 30 different known Bartonella species, of which 13 have been found to infect humans. Improved methods for detecting Bartonella infection in animals and humans - it is notorious for "hiding" in the linings of blood vessels and potentially the skin - has led to the diagnosis of bartonelloses in patients with a host of chronic illnesses.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/9/12/1023
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