The Epidemiology of Bartonellosis in Peru
Abstract
Bartonellosis has caused debilitating illness and death since pre-Inca times. It is a vector-borne infectious disease found in the medically underserved communities of the high Andean mountain valleys of South America. The disease manifests in two clinical stages. a hematic stage followed by an eruptive stage The etiologic agent is Bartonella bacllilformis, an alpha-2 proteobacteria that intracellularly infects erythrocytes and endothelial cells. Although recognized for centuries. relatively little is known about its epidemiology. This study examines the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of bartonellosis with the goal of developing a rationale control program. In January 1997 two year, population-based prospective cohort investigation was initiated in an area of Peru with endemic bartonellosis. Using house-to-house surveys, the population was censused, interviewed and then followed for evidence of bartonellosis. Active and passive case detection methods were used to identify cases and to determine prevalence, incidence, morbidity, mortality, and chronic carrier state. An indirect fluorescence antibody assay was developed to aid diagnosis. Individuals with clinical disease were enrolled in a cases-series investigation and re-valuated every six months to determine the natural history of disease and the IgG antibody response over time. Case-houses were mapped using geographic information systems (GIS) to determine any possible spatial patterns of disease. Changes in incidence as a function of average monthly precipitation and temperature were analyzed using climatic data obtained from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA444347
Entities
People
- Judith Chamberlin
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences