Bartonella henselae Serostatus is not Correlated with Neurocognitive Decline in HIV Infection

Abstract

Bartonella henselae has been implicated as a significant cause of HIV-associated dementia. We attempted to confirm this association by utilizing the database of the San Diego HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center, which collects longitudinal neurocognitive and laboratory data on over 500 HIV-infected participants. Utilizing an immunofluorescent assay we found that 11% of 177 subjects, half of whom had documented neurocognitive decline, were seropositive for B. hensalae. There was no correlation between B. hensalae seropositivity and neurocognitive decline. The role of B. hensalae in HIV-associated dementia remains ambiguous.