A pilot study detects Bartonella infection in the blood of people with schizophrenia

A pilot study from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found evidence of Bartonella infection in the blood of people with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Researchers have been looking at the link between bacterial infection and neuropsychiatric disease for some time. ”

Erin Lashnits, associate veterinarian, NC State, regular faculty member, University of Wisconsin and first author of the study

“In particular, there has been a study showing that cat possession is associated with schizophrenia due to the zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii, but so far there has been no conclusive evidence to support a causal role for So we decided to take a look at another cat. Bartonella, an infected cat, to see if there could be a link. “

Bartonella is a bacterium historically associated with cat scratch disease, which until recently was thought to be a short-term (or self-limiting) disease. Cats can be infected with Bartonella through exposure to fleas and potential blisters, which are natural experts on the bacteria. The cat is a host for at least three of the 40 known Bartonella species: Bartonella henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiae and Bartonella koehlerae.

“While an understanding is emerging about neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia such as disorders of the cerebral networks, the question of the true causes remains unanswered,” says co-author Flavio Frohlich, professor related to psychology at the UNC School of Medicine. ”It was an exciting opportunity for us in the UNC Department of Psychology to work with the leading experts on Bartonella to pursue this innovative idea of ​​a possible to schizophrenia. To our knowledge, this is the first work that explores the possible role of Bartonella in schizophrenia. “

The research team enrolled a group of 17 people with persistent, medically managed schizoaffective disorder, and a control group of 13 healthy adults, to test for evidence of Bartonella disease.

All participants completed questionnaires about the severity of the symptoms and how Bartonella could appear. Blood samples were taken from participants twice a week. The samples were cultured in the middle of growth, and both culture and whole blood samples were subjected to qPCR and digital droplet testing, or ddPCR, at seven-, 14-, and 21-day intervals, to find evidence of organ-specific DNA. Bartonella. Blood samples were also tested for specific antibodies of the genus Bartonella.

Of the 17 patients with schizophrenia, 12 had Bartonella DNA in their blood, compared to just one of 13 in the control group. According to the questionnaires, both patients and controls reported similar pet possessions and flea exposures.

“Bartonella ddPCR, a relatively new diagnostic technology, provides a more sensitive molecular test than we have before,” said Dr. Ed Breitschwerdt, Melanie S. Steele Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine at NC State and its coauthor study. “If we hadn’t used ddPCR to identify this group of people, we wouldn’t have found Bartonella DNA in any of the participants, either case or control.”

“It is important to remember that our study was designed to show that it was not possible to show a causal link between Bartonella disease and schizophrenia,” says Frohlich. “However, we believe that this initial speculative study strongly supports the need for follow-up research.”

The researchers plan to go ahead with a larger study to see if their initial results are confirmed.

“Many of these patients have been receiving care for years,” Breitschwerdt says. “It’s a pattern we’re starting to see – Bartonella can persist for a long time. And for a subset of people who can’t eradicate the disease, the bacteria can cause chronic or progressive illness.”