Immune aspects of Bartonella

Bartonella species have been recognized as important human pathogens only r ecently. Until the early 1990s, this genus was represented by one species, Bartonella bacilliformis. The recent identification of other Bartonella spe cies as the agents of cat-scratch disease and bacillary angiomatosis has le ft little doubt of their emerging importance as opportunistic human pathoge ns. Over the last decade, extensive research has been performed on Bartonel la species, resulting in an explosion in our knowledge of the genetic diver sity of this genus. Unusual aspects of disease sequelae have fueled worldwi de interest in defining the natural history, pathology, and molecular biolo gy of Bartonella species. While much information about these interests has been presented, the advancement of immunological knowledge regarding Barton ella species has been slow. This review discusses immunological data on Bar tonella species, focusing on the three primary human pathogens of this genu s: B. bacilliformis, B. quintana, and B. henselae.