Bartonella_henselae
Bartonella henselae
Species of bacterium
Bartonella henselae, formerly Rochalimæa henselae, is a bacterium that is the causative agent of cat-scratch disease[1] (bartonellosis).
Bartonella henselae is a member of the genus Bartonella, one of the most common types of bacteria in the world.[specify] The specific name henselae honors Diane Marie Hensel (b. 1953), a clinical microbiology technologist at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, who collected numerous strains and samples of the infective agent during an outbreak in Oklahoma in 1985.[2] It is a facultative intracellular microbe that targets red blood cells. One study showed it invaded the mature blood cells of humans.[3] It infects the host cell by sticking to it using trimeric autotransporter adhesins.[4] In the United States, about 20,000 cases are diagnosed each year,[5] most under 15 years old. Most often, it is transmitted by scratches or bites from kittens.[6]