Acute bartonellosis caused by Bartonella quintana in a sheep farmer – An unidentified mode of transmission for ‘trench fever’

Abstract

Human bartonellosis is an emerging public health concern and remains underreported in the current medical literature. Bartonella species are ubiquitous bacteria implicated in numerous human disease processes globally. We report the case of an immunocompetent Irish agricultural worker who presented with acute bartonellosis following sheep handling. Similar to other case reports [1], this article describes a case of ‘trench fever’ in a human host by an unknown mode of transmission. We describe how diagnosis was made using clinical history taking, serology and histopathology findings.