At a glance
- Healthcare providers and public health professionals have opportunities to improve knowledge about Bartonella infections.
- Medscape activities offer free continuing education credits to participants.
- Professionals working with people experiencing homelessness can find training and communication resources for B. quintana.
Homelessness and Bartonella quintana
In the United States, cases of louse-borne B. quintana infection and flea-borne typhus (Rickettsia typhi) disproportionally impact people experiencing homelessness. These diseases can spread rapidly under conditions of crowding and poor hygiene.
Healthcare providers and workers who provide direct services to people experiencing homelessness will find the following resources can improve understanding of how to prevent and manage disease and louse infestations.
Publications
- Beeson AM, Rich SN, Russo ME, Bhatnagar J, Kumar RN, Ritter JN ... Marx GE. Bartonella quintana infection in kidney transplant recipients from donor experiencing homelessness, United States, 2022. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024;30(12):2467-2475.
- Boodman C, Garcia OF, Kabbani D, Villalobos APC, Beeson A, Marx GE, van Griensven J, Doucette K. Donor-derived Bartonella quintana infection in solid organ transplantation: An emerging public health issue with diagnostic challenges. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2024;11(8):ofae381.
- Boodman C, Gupta N, Nelson CA, van Griensven J. Bartonella quintana endocarditis: A systematic review of individual cases. Clin Infect Dis. 2024;78(3):554-561.
- Choat J, Yockey B, Sheldon SW, Pappert R, Petersen J, Deitrich EA. Development and validation of a real-time PCR test to detect Bartonella quintana in clinical samples. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2023;106(4):116000.
- Henderson R, Mosites E, Koehler JE, Boodman C, Marx GE. Homelessness and organ donor–derived Bartonella quintana infection. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024;30(12):2459-2466.
- Keller M, Agladze M, Kupferman T, Rich SN, Marx GE, et al. Bartonella quintana endocarditis in persons experiencing homelessness, New York, New York, USA, 2020–2023. Emerg Infect Dis. 2024;30(12):2494-2501.
- McCormick DW, Rowan SE, Pappert R, Yockey B, Dietrich EA, Petersen JM, Hinckley AF, Marx GE. Bartonella seroreactivity among persons experiencing homelessness during an outbreak of Bartonella quintana in Denver, Colorado, 2020. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021;8(6):ofab230.
- Rich SN, Carpenter A, Dell B, Henderson R, Adams S, Bestul N, et al. Knowledge and practices related to louse- and flea-borne diseases among staff providing services to people experiencing homelessness in the United States. Zoonoses and Public Health. 2024;71(6);642-652.