Description of Bartonella spp. infections in a general hospital of Catalonia, Spain

Bartonella is the main agent of cat scratch disease (CSD) and is transmitted to humans after a skin injury caused by a cat scratch or bite [1]. Generally benign, it is characterised by regional lymphadenopathy; however, it may produce a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms with life-threatening complications such as atypical disseminated forms like bacteraemia and endocarditis and bacillary angiomatosis, the last commonly associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) [2]. In this study, the characteristics of Bartonella henselae and B. quintana infections in a Spanish general hospital have been analysed.