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Bartonella
Bartonella is a bacterial infection spread by cat scratches and fleas, and possibly other vectors. We look at nerve, vascular, mood, and immune patterns, reduce total burden, and treat in sequence.
What you may be noticing
Symptoms that began after a cat scratch, flea exposure, or a tick bite. Swollen lymph nodes. Burning or aching pain in the soles of the feet, worse in the morning. Streaky red or purple lines on the skin that resemble stretch marks. Anxiety, irritability, or sudden mood changes that feel out of character. Fatigue, headaches, and brain fog.
High fever, vision changes, severe headache, or chest pain need urgent medical care.
Why it is rarely one thing
Bartonella species are bacteria that live inside red blood cells and the cells lining blood vessels. Bartonella henselae causes cat scratch disease, usually a self-limited illness with swollen lymph nodes. In people with weakened immunity it can cause serious infections of the blood vessels, heart, and eyes.
Its role as a chronic, low-level co-infection with Lyme disease is an area of active clinical attention, yet tick transmission and chronic Bartonella illness remain debated in research. Testing is challenging, because the organism is hard to detect in blood. Not every unexplained symptom is Bartonella, and not every negative test rules it out.
In my framework, Bartonella is one living toxin in a larger biotoxin bucket. The bite or scratch is the messenger; the deeper question is what terrain it entered. Mold exposure, parasites, Babesia, and a heavy chemical load each raise the burden on the immune system and the brain. My working sequence addresses the larger, more draining biotoxins first, parasites, then yeast and mold, with organ support in place, before focused tick-borne work. Drainage before detox. Regulation before mobilization. That ordering is a working clinical hypothesis that tends to make treatment better tolerated.
Patterns we look for
- Exposure history: cats, kittens, fleas, ticks, and outdoor work.
- Skin findings, including streaks and rashes.
- Foot pain, nerve pain, and small fiber symptoms.
- Mood and neuropsychiatric changes.
- Lymph node swelling.
- Inflammatory and vascular markers.
- Co-infections such as Lyme disease and Babesia.
- Parasites, mold, and toxic burden.
- Drainage capacity and autonomic dysfunction.
How I evaluate it
The comprehensive functional neurological exam assesses sensory function, small fiber patterns, autonomic balance, eye movements, and cognitive and emotional regulation.
Functional labs may include a specialty tick-borne panel with Bartonella antibodies and molecular testing, a complete blood count, inflammatory and vascular markers, and mold and stool testing when indicated. Results are weighed against your history and exam. I coordinate antibiotic treatment with a physician experienced in tick-borne illness.
How we address it
- Confirm the pattern through history, exam, and appropriate testing.
- Open drainage pathways and support liver and lymphatic function first.
- Calm the nervous system so the body can shift out of survival mode.
- Reduce total burden in sequence: parasites, yeast, mold, and chemical toxins.
- Coordinate antimicrobial treatment with an experienced physician when indicated.
- Calm neuroinflammation and support vascular health.
- Rebuild sensory, autonomic, and cognitive function with brain-based rehabilitation.
Progress is tracked with your symptoms and exam over months, not days. The body can find its way back through the right sequence.
Book your Comprehensive Functional Medicine Eval/Neurological Exam today to discover what the contributing root causes are that are underlying your health concerns.