A Cat in Wolves' Clothing, Part 2: The History of Bartonella

Is this episode clinically relevant? No. Is it important? I think so! The story of Bartonella features a cast of characters, including a medical student who died trying to understand the disease, as well as some scientists with some less than ethical experiments. Enjoy!

• Intro :01
• Welcome to another exciting episode of Rheuminations :11
• About today’s episode 1:12
• More discussion of Bartonella quintana 2:52
• How did we figure out the lice were actually the problem? 7:32
• When do we figure out what this infection organism is? 11:51
• A quick refresher of Koch’s postulates 12:58
• How did they get the volunteers to do this? 13:33
• The story of how Bartonella got its name 17:00
• What is Bartonella bacilliformis? 17:38
• Who is Richard Strong? 26:29
• How do we finally prove that Carrion’s disease is what Carrion had proven? 28:25
• About Bartonella henselae 32:21
• Recapping the episode 36:39
• Thanks for listening 37:24

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to Dr. Brown at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @HRheuminations @AdamJBrownMD @HealioRheum.

Disclosure: Brown reports no relevant financial disclosures.

References: 

Anstead GM. Lancet Infect Dis. 2016;16:e164–172.

Salinas-Flores D.  Revista de la Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 2016;64:517.

Schultz MG. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1968;17:503-515.

Vinson JW, et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1969;18:713-22.