Donor-Derived Bartonella quintana Infection in Solid Organ Transplantation: An Emerging Public Health Issue With Diagnostic Challenges

Bartonella quintana is a louse-borne intracellular bacterium that remains a neglected cause of bacteremia, bacillary angiomatosis, and infective endocarditis among individuals experiencing poverty. In October 2023, Health Canada notified Canadian organ transplantation programs of an outbreak of donor-derived B quintana infection. From March to August 2023, 5 cases of donor-derived B quintana disease were acquired in Alberta, Canada, from 3 deceased donors who had experienced homelessness. Similar cases recently occurred in the United States. In this article, we discuss strategies to screen organ donors and monitor transplant recipients for B quintana infection using epidemiologic risk factors, physical examination signs, and laboratory diagnostic tests. We review the limitations of existing diagnostic tests for B quintana and describe how these problems may be magnified in the organ transplantation context.

In 2023, multiple cases of donor-derived Bartonella quintana, a louse-borne bacterium, were acquired in Canada and the United States from deceased donors who had experienced homelessness. We discuss strategies to screen organ donors and monitor transplant recipients for B quintana infection.