Bartonella spp. bacteremia in blood donors from Campinas, Brazil

Commentary: Ticks contain multiple bacterial, parasitic and viral infections, and several tick-borne infections are also known to be transmitted by blood transfusions, such as Babesiosis and Anaplasmosis. This article by Dr Ed Breitschwerdt, highlights a new risk for blood transfusions, as Bartonella species are now being found in the blood supply. “This study documents for the first time that Bartonella spp. bacteremia occurs in asymptomatic blood donors”, and since “negative serology does not rule out Bartonella spp. infection in healthy subjects” we may not be effectively screening the blood supply for these organisms. This presents a new potential danger as “Bartonella species are blood-borne, re-emerging organisms, capable of causing prolonged infection with diverse disease manifestations, from asymptomatic bacteremia to chronic debilitating disease and death”, and “this pathogen can survive for over a month in stored blood”. As tick-borne infections continue to spread worldwide, we must focus on prevention, and find methods to effectively screen the blood supply for these new emerging pathogens.

Bartonella spp. bacteremia in blood donors from Campinas, Brazil, PubMed