A patient with documented chronic Lyme disease had further testing for Bartonella.
A test performed at Fry labs reported abnormally shaped red blood cells without bacteria.
A wet mount at Clongen showed scarce round motile bacteria.
A PCR at Clongen for "Bartonella species," was positive.
In general, PCR testing for Bartonella is not performed because of a low yield.
These results, albeit in a single patient, suggest that: 1) wet mount exams may be more accurate than stained whole blood samples for the identification of these bacteria and 2) these small round organisms seen in patient's blood do in fact suggest ongoing infection with Bartonella species.
5 comments:
I have confirmed Lyme, Ehrliciosis and more, but Bartonella was not detected.
I do have Schamberg's Disease though - essentially purpura in the skin, similar to this image: Schambergs Disease .
Have you seen similar problems in any of your patients? As far as I understand Bartonella tends to produce at least vaguely similar skin symptoms?
I see that Fry Labs reported misshapen cells with no bacteria. We have a neighbor's child (2 years old, male, history of "failure to thrive", poikilocytosis, and seizure disorder) whose blood has been examined by 40 different hemotologists, none of whom have seen any bacteria. They have ruled out any infectious cause. Any possibility that tick-borne illness might still cause these symptoms without being observed?
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Hello we are from Brazil and I am following your blog
our company JPR thanks.
Have a merry Christmas and a Great season.
Hello we are from Brazil and I am following your blog
our company JPR thanks.
Have a merry Christmas and a Great season.
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