Bartonellosis in transplant recipients: A retrospective single center experience.

BACKGROUND

Bartonellosis is a rare but challenging condition to diagnose with a spectrum of clinical presentations in the immunocompromised host.

AIM: To further characterize the presentation of Bartonella henselae (B. henselae) infections in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

METHODS

We conducted a single-center retrospective study of all B. henselae testing for 5012 transplant recipients receiving care at a single institution between 2011 and 2018.

RESULTS

We identified 38 patients who underwent testing for B. henselae, and three of 38 were found to have bartonellosis. Two of the patients were renal transplant recipients who presented with visceral bartonellosis and symptoms concerning for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. One autologous stem cell transplant recipient presented with cat scratch disease. We detail the clinical courses of these three cases and review the literature concerning the clinical presentations, differential diagnosis, and limitations of diagnostic tests for B. henselae infections in transplant recipients.

CONCLUSION

Although the incidence of B. henselae infection in transplant recipients is unknown, it merits inclusion in the differential diagnosis for fever of unknown origin in this population.