Bartonella & Anxiety

Bartonella is a species of bacteria that can infect animals, including humans, by living within the cells. Bartonella infections are relatively new discoveries in medicine, and little is known about their precise means of transmission, how to diagnose the infection or the range of possible symptoms. At least nine bartonella species have been identified as the cause of human infections, but more are suspected.

Transmission

• The medical community is unclear how bartonella infections are transmitted, but strongly suspects ticks, fleas and/or lice. "The Journal of Medical Microbiology" suggests common European rats carrying fleas as a primary source of human infection, while the California Lyme Disease Association implicates cats. As bartonella affects many human and nonhuman species, multiple carriers are possible.

Symptoms

• Typical symptoms of a bartonella infection include fever, poor appetite, headache, fatigue and an unusual streaked rash. Swollen glands around the head, neck and arms are also typical, according to the California Lyme Disease Association. Gastritis, lower abdominal pain, tender skin nodules, sore soles, nodules along the extremities and sore throats have also been observed by doctors.

  According to Medscape Today, atypical (abnormal) symptoms include vision distortions, bone infections, abdominal pain, arthritis, severe liver and spleen tissue abnormalities, abscesses, problems with the heart tissue and heart valves, and neurological disorders. Psychiatric disorders, like anxiety, have received minor mention in case reports.

Bartonella and the Link with Anxiety

• As more is being discovered in the medical community about bartonella infections, accompanying acute (temporary) psychiatric disorders--such as anxiety, panic attacks and depression--are garnering more attention. Researchers James L. Schaller and Glenn A. Burkland believe such psychological issues are "reasonable" considering symptoms reported by patients and the documented link to neurological problems.

Treatment of Bartonella and Bartonella-Related Anxiety

• Bartonella infections are typically treated with antibiotics such as erythromycin, doxycycline, levofloxacin and azithromycin. Those suffering with depression or anxiety may be given antidepressive and/or antianxiety medication. After reviewing case studies, Schaller and Burkland found that patients with bartonella typically require higher doses of the psychiatric medications, but that patients return to a normal or almost-normal preinfection psychological state after antibiotics cure the bartonella infection.

Diagnosis Difficulties

• Anxiety has not been universally screened for in the medical community as a possible symptom of bartonella infection, according to Schaller and Burkland. This may make treatment for anxiety and depression suffered in conjunction with bartonella difficult, and even more complicated because of the fact that new strains of bartonella are hard to diagnose. Only two strains of bartonella are routinely tested for in national labs, and the tests conducted do not always yield accurate results. Further hindering diagnosis are the small size and low number of infecting bacteria, uncertainty about how to view those bacteria, limited experience with the disease and unknown means of transmission.