Trench Fever Follow-up

  • Author: Alfred Scott Lea, MD; Chief Editor: Burke A Cunha, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jan 12, 2012
 

Further Inpatient Care

Initial management of Bartonella infection, including trench fever and urban trench fever, may require an inpatient stay, depending on the severity of illness.

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Further Outpatient Care

  • Most treatment can be provided on an outpatient basis.
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Inpatient & Outpatient Medications

  • Administer antimicrobial therapy (see Medications).
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Transfer

  • Person-to-person transmission of Bartonella infection does not typically occur, although disease may be transmitted via transfusion or transplantation.
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Deterrence/Prevention

  • Instruct patients who are part of an at-risk population to improve hygiene and living conditions.
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Complications

  • Relapse after treatment
  • Endocarditis
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Prognosis

  • B quintana infection is self-limited in most immunocompetent hosts unless endocarditis occurs.
  • In immunocompromised hosts, B quintana infection tends to be more severe and may result in death.
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Patient Education

  • Patients with B quintana infection, including trench fever and urban trench fever, need to follow medical recommendations in order to recover from infection.
  • Educate patients about practicing good hygiene and improving their living conditions.
  • Humans are not contagious under ordinary circumstances.
  • Explain vector control of the body louse.
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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Alfred Scott Lea, MD  Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine

Alfred Scott Lea, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Wound Management, American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, Harris County Medical Society, and Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Jeffrey M Zaks, MD  Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine; Vice President, Medical Affairs, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Internal Medicine, Providence Hospital

Jeffrey M Zaks, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Cardiology, American College of Healthcare Executives, American College of Physician Executives, and American Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Thomas M Kerkering, MD  Chief of Infectious Diseases, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

Thomas M Kerkering, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association, American Society for Microbiology, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Medical Society of Virginia, and Wilderness Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD  Clinical and Research Fellow, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital

Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American College of Physicians, American Society for Microbiology, and Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Burke A Cunha, MD  Professor of Medicine, State University of New York School of Medicine at Stony Brook; Chief, Infectious Disease Division, Winthrop-University Hospital

Burke A Cunha, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

The author would like to thank A. Clinton White, MD, for his encouragement and suggestions during the composition of this article.

The authors and editors of eMedicine also gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD, and previous coauthor Michael Forgione, MD, to the development and writing of this article.

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This illustration depicts a dorsal view of a female body louse, Pediculus humanus var. corporis. The human body louse P humanus var. corporis is a known vector responsible for the transmission of epidemic typhus, trench fever, and Asiatic relapsing fever. It also causes a dermatitic condition known as pediculosis. Courtesy of the CDC.
 
 
 
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