Disseminated Bartonella washoensis infection in a kidney transplant recipient diagnosed by 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing: A case report.
6 affiliations
- 1Internal medicine department, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 2Infectious diseases unit, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 3Infectious diseases unit, Clínica Country, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 4Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics department, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 5Centro de Tratamiento e Investigación sobre Cáncer Luis Carlos Sarmiento Angulo (CTIC), Colombia.
- 6Nephrology unit, Clínica Country, Bogotá, Colombia.
Abstract
Bartonella species are increasingly recognized as causes of invasive infections in immunocompromised hosts. We report the first case in Colombia of disseminated Bartonella washoensis infection in a kidney transplant recipient. A 43-year-old woman receiving maintenance immunosuppression presented with prolonged fever, constitutional symptoms, abdominal pain, multiple splenic lesions, and vertebral osteomyelitis. Extensive microbiological, serological, and molecular investigations were initially negative. Due to persistent fever and diagnostic uncertainty, a diagnostic splenectomy was performed, which revealed necrotizing granulomas. Broad-range bacterial 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing of splenic tissue identified B. washoensis, establishing the diagnosis of disseminated bartonellosis. Targeted antimicrobial therapy resulted in clinical and radiological improvement without recurrence during follow-up. This case highlights the potential for rare zoonotic Bartonella species to cause disseminated disease in transplant recipients and underscores the diagnostic value of broad-range bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing when conventional diagnostic methods are unrevealing.
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BibTeX
@article{garzon2026disseminated,
title = {{Disseminated Bartonella washoensis infection in a kidney transplant recipient diagnosed by 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing: A case report.}},
author = {Javier Garzón and Cándida Diaz-Brochero and Tatiana Ordoñez and Juan Sebastián Bravo and Maria Jose López and Camilo Montero and Rodolfo Torres},
journal = {IDCases},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02793},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904107},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Disseminated Bartonella washoensis infection in a kidney transplant recipient diagnosed by 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing: A case report.
AU - Javier Garzón
AU - Cándida Diaz-Brochero
AU - Tatiana Ordoñez
AU - Juan Sebastián Bravo
AU - Maria Jose López
AU - Camilo Montero
AU - Rodolfo Torres
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - IDCases
DO - 10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02793
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42904107
AB - Bartonella species are increasingly recognized as causes of invasive infections in immunocompromised hosts. We report the first case in Colombia of disseminated Bartonella washoensis infection in a kidney transplant recipient. A 43-year-old woman receiving maintenance immunosuppression presented with prolonged fever, constitutional symptoms, abdominal pain, multiple splenic lesions, and vertebral osteomyelitis. Extensive microbiological, serological, and molecular investigations were initially negative. Due to persistent fever and diagnostic uncertainty, a diagnostic splenectomy was performed, which revealed necrotizing granulomas. Broad-range bacterial 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing of splenic tissue identified B. washoensis, establishing the diagnosis of disseminated bartonellosis. Targeted antimicrobial therapy resulted in clinical and radiological improvement without recurrence during follow-up. This case highlights the potential for rare zoonotic Bartonella species to cause disseminated disease in transplant recipients and underscores the diagnostic value of broad-range bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing when conventional diagnostic methods are unrevealing.
SN - 2214-2509
ER -