<i>Bartonella quintana</i> Infection in Kidney Transplant Recipients from Donor Experiencing Homelessness, United States, 2022
Bartonella quintana infection can cause severe disease that includes clinical manifestations such as endocarditis, chronic bacteremia, and vasoproliferative lesions of the skin and viscera. B. quintana bacteria is transmitted by the human body louse (Pediculus humanus corporis) and is associated with homelessness and limited access to hygienic services. We report B. quintana infection in 2 kidney transplant recipients in the United States from an organ donor who was experiencing homelessness. One infection manifested atypically, and the other was minimally symptomatic; with rapid detection, both recipients received timely treatment and recovered. B. quintana was identified retrospectively in an archived donor hematoma specimen, confirming the transmission link. Information about the organ donor's housing status was critical to this investigation. Evaluation for B. quintana infection should be considered for solid organ transplant recipients who receive organs from donors with a history of homelessness or of body lice infestation.
Authors
- Gayle Vranic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5356-0920)
- Roosecelis B. Martines
- Joel Ackelsberg
- Karsten Kuhn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3323-7341)
- Jana M. Ritter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4768-162X)
- Rachel Finkel
- Marlene DeLeon-Carnes
- Alison F. Hinckley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2853-5165)
- Benjamin T. Bradley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8064-9314)
- Marc Roger Couturier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0664-1546)
- Michael E. Russo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3692-4489)
- Rebecca Scobell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0956-9995)
- Sridhar V. Basavaraju (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8376-0499)
- Matthew J. Kuehnert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5390-0465)
- Kumarasen Cooper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0478-3005)
- Sarah Reagan-Steiner
- Heba Abdelal
- Rohit Satoskar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1482-4575)
- Pallavi Annambhotla (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5564-8785)
- P. K. C. Pillai
- M. Takeda
- Grace E. Marx (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2393-6947)
- Shannan N. Rich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1203-2443)
- Amy Beeson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7275-4501)
- Rebecca N. Kumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6650-0612)
- Paul S. Mead (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2545-8360)
- Jane E. Koehler
- Julu Bhatnagar
- Gerardo Rivera
- RAMALAN ALIYU MOHAMMED
- Maheswari Ekambaram
Publication Details
- Journal
- Emerging infectious diseases
- Published
- 2024-11-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3012.240310
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Bartonella species infections research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.55
Funders
- Pennsylvania Department of Health