{"doi":"10.1089/vbz.2020.2729","title":"Schizophrenia and <i>Bartonella</i> spp. Infection: A Pilot Case–Control Study","abstract":"Recently, infections with emerging zoonotic bacteria of the genus Bartonella have been reported in association with a range of central nervous system (CNS) symptoms. Currently, it remains unknown if Bartonella spp. infection is associated with symptoms of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder (SCZ/SAD). The objective of this study was to determine if there is an association between Bartonella species infection and SCZ/SAD. A secondary objective was to determine if SCZ/SAD symptoms were more severe among participants with documented Bartonella spp. infection. Using a case–control study design, 17 cases and 13 controls were evaluated with a series of clinical and cognitive assessments. Blood samples were collected and tested for Bartonella spp. infection using serological, microbiological, and molecular techniques. People with SCZ/SAD were more likely than healthy volunteers to have Bartonella spp. DNA in their bloodstream, with 11 of 17 cases (65%) positive by Bartonella spp. droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). In comparison, only one healthy volunteer was Bartonella spp. ddPCR positive (8%, p = 0.0024). Based on serology, Bartonella spp. exposure was common among people with SCZ/SAD (12 of 17) as well as among healthy volunteers (12 of 13), with no significant difference between the groups ( p = 0.196). Within the case group of people with SCZ/SAD, there was no significant difference in SCZ/SAD severity scores between people with and without ddPCR evidence of Bartonella spp. infection. This pilot study provides preliminary evidence in support of future investigations that should examine a potential contribution of Bartonella spp. infection to SCZ/SAD.","journal":"Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases","year":2021,"id":169917,"datarank":0.717385077511963,"base_score":3.367295829986474,"endowment":3.367295829986474,"self_citation_contribution":0.5050943744979712,"citation_network_contribution":0.21229070301399172,"self_endowment_contribution":0.5050943744979712,"citer_contribution":0.21229070301399172,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":28,"citer_count":13,"citers_with_citation_signal":12,"citers_with_endowment":12,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.964,"is_data_producer":true,"deposit_databanks":{"Dryad":["10.5061/dryad.95x69p8jz"]},"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2021-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":356918,"name":"Ricardo G. Maggi","orcid":"0000-0001-7428-0138","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":702725,"name":"Fredrik Jarskog","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":486988,"name":"Julie M. Bradley","orcid":"0000-0003-1812-5242","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":356920,"name":"Edward B. Breitschwerdt","orcid":"0000-0002-3506-0279","position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":395860,"name":"Flavio Frӧhlich","orcid":"0000-0002-3724-5621","position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":415290,"name":"Erin Lashnits","orcid":"0000-0003-0949-5698","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":69,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-18T23:46:19.728805Z","pmid":"33728987","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}