Bartonella quintana Aortitis in a Man with AIDS, Diagnosed by Needle Biopsy and 16S rRNA Gene Amplification

J Clin Microbiol. 2015 Aug;53(8):2773-6. doi: 10.1128/JCM.02888-14. Epub 2015 Jun 10.

Abstract

A man with newly diagnosed AIDS presented with months of back pain and fever. Computed tomography (CT) results demonstrated aortitis with periaortic tissue thickening. DNA amplification of biopsy tissue revealed Bartonella quintana, and Bartonella serologies were subsequently noted to be positive. The patient improved with prolonged doxycycline and rifabutin treatment. This case illustrates how molecular techniques are increasingly important in diagnosing Bartonella infections.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / complications*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
  • Aortitis / diagnosis*
  • Aortitis / drug therapy
  • Aortitis / pathology*
  • Bartonella quintana / isolation & purification*
  • Biopsy, Needle
  • Cluster Analysis
  • DNA, Bacterial / chemistry
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • DNA, Ribosomal / chemistry
  • DNA, Ribosomal / genetics
  • Doxycycline / therapeutic use
  • Genes, rRNA
  • Histocytochemistry
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Microscopy
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Rifabutin / therapeutic use
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Trench Fever / diagnosis*
  • Trench Fever / drug therapy
  • Trench Fever / pathology*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA, Ribosomal
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Rifabutin
  • Doxycycline

Associated data

  • GENBANK/KR866081