The Stealthy Infection of Bartonella
Below is an excerpt from Dr. Chris Chlebowski’s upcoming book, The Virus and The Host: How to Get and Stay Healthy in the Age of Novel Infectious Disease, published by Chelsea Green.
Bartonella. These tiny bacteria are likely the most common infectious agent on earth. There are some thirty species of bartonella with at least seventeen of those species causing disease in mammals including humans. I believe, based on the numbers I see in my clinic and the prevalence of this pathogen in nature, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people walking around with undiagnosed bartonella infections. Some of the sickest people in my practice have walked through the door after seeing many other doctors with raging bartonella infestations and they had no idea why they were sick.
People and pets mostly contract bartonella from the bite of an arthropod; a flea, tick, mosquito, louse, chigger, scabies, or a biting fly. You may have heard of “cat scratch fever”, which is the most well-known variety of bartonella. This illness has led many obtuse physicians to believe that people can only contract these infections from cats. It is entirely possible that your pets have bartonella and you can contract it from them but we shouldn’t only look at cats as the culprit in its transmission to humans.
People with this infection will present with a variety of symptoms, which is one of the reasons it is so hard to diagnose. But if you start to recognize the pattern of symptoms, you will discover it isn’t that hard to find.
Common Bartonella Symptoms
1. Lymphadenopathy (swelling of the lymph nodes). This is very common in this infection and usually involves multiple swollen nodes.
2. Some type of relapsing fever. A fever or the feeling a fever that comes and goes.
3. Intense cognitive, mental, and emotional issues. These are very common with bartonella. Anxiety, anger, bipolar, depression and schizophrenia can be caused by these bacteria. I think a lot of the homeless people you see talking to themselves have this infection.
4. Pain. Although people can complain of pain in the joints, bones or muscles, the hallmark sign of this infection is pain on bottom of the feet, often around the heel.
5. Nausea and abdominal complaints. There is often diarrhea, constipation, nausea, gas and general abdominal discomfort.
6. Here is the one of the biggest tricks to finding Bartonella. Put down this book right now and Google “bartonella straie”. You will immediately find what I am talking about. If you or anyone you know has or has had these purple/pink stretch marks, they probably have a bartonella infection. I have seen many people whose doctors dismissed these “stretch marks” as a sign of weight gain or loss but I can assure you this is 100% positive for a bartonella infection.
I find this infection to be grossly undiagnosed. We have witnessed some miraculous life changing cases once we discovered that a patient had this infection. If you have at least two of the above symptoms or the “bartonella straie”, make certain you find a doctor who takes this infection seriously, helps you get an accurate diagnosis, and prescribes an appropriate treatment.