Posted on 02/03/2026 7:25:10 PM PST by ConservativeMind
A pilot study has found evidence of Bartonella and Babesia infection in almost half of 50 blood samples from patients suffering chronic fatigue syndrome, also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
Bartonella species comprise a group of vector-borne bacteria transmitted primarily via arthropods like fleas, lice and potentially ticks, but also by the animals that harbor the bacteria in their blood. For example, Bartonella henselae is associated with cat scratch disease, which until recently was thought to be a short-lived (or self-limiting) infection. There are at least 45 different known Bartonella species, of which 18 have been found to infect humans.
Improved methods for detecting Bartonella infection in animals and humans have led to the diagnosis of bartonelloses in patients with a spectrum of chronic symptoms, as well as in some patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Babesia comprises another group of vector-borne bacteria that are transmitted mainly through tick bite, although there are reports of transmission by transfusion of infected blood, transplacental transmission and infection in organ transplant recipients.
Babesia and Bartonella are often suspected as co-infections with Lyme disease, and a previous NC State study detected co-infections with both genera in patients with unspecified chronic illnesses.
For this study, 50 participants were selected from a cohort of 173 individuals enrolled in a larger study aimed at detecting Bartonella in the blood of people with chronic illness and extensive animal contact. All participants reported fatigue lasting over six months and one or more neurological symptoms, specifically including: difficulty remembering, disorientation, irritability, rage, aggression, difficulty sleeping, seizures, tremors, headache, mental confusion, hallucinations, and anxiety/panic attacks.
Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) amplification and DNA sequencing of blood or enrichment blood culture samples confirmed infection with Babesia, Bartonella, or both genera in 10, 11 and two (23 of 50) participants, respectively.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
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Both are treatable, but chronic infections can take many months to eliminate.
I would say this is good news.
Sounds like another usage for antiparasitics, like Ivermectin or FenBen.
Not very informative without knowing what fraction of an demographic/activity/region aligned control group have also been exposed to Bartonella or Babesia.
Chronic fatigue? Or is that just laziness?
Lot’s of people with long term disability insurance tend to suffer from these magical undiagnosable diseases with multiple symptoms and chronic fatigue is always one of those ‘symptoms’... Fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, etc., etc.
I can see why people with LTD insurance develop these diseases... It’s a scam to avoid working and still get paid... What I don’t understand is why all these celebrities suffer from them. What are the chances of getting bit by a deer tick on a Hollywood sound stage?
Chronic fatigue is a real thing for some people. Have you ever heard of Michelle Akers? She played women’s soccer and was the highest scorer for a while. She wasn’t lazy, but she has CFS. She had to retire way too early.
I do understand your skepticism, though. There are lots of people who claim disability but really aren’t.
From Brave’s AI:
~~~~~
Ivermectin has demonstrated significant inhibitory effects against Babesia parasites, both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting its potential as an alternative or adjunct therapy for babesiosis. In a 2019 study, ivermectin reduced B. microti parasitemia by 63% in infected mice when administered at 4 mg/kg intraperitoneally. Combination therapies with atovaquone (AQ) and diminazene aceturate (DA) were even more effective, reducing peak parasitemia by up to 83.7% and leading to the complete absence of B. microti DNA in treated groups after 49 days, indicating a potential parasitological cure.
The study also confirmed ivermectin’s efficacy against multiple Babesia species (B. bovis, B. bigemina, B. divergens, B. caballi) and Theileria equi in vitro, with IC50 values ranging from 30.1 to 98.6 μM, and showed low cytotoxicity in mammalian cell lines (EC50 > 138.9 μM). These findings support its broad antiparasitic activity.
However, no evidence from the provided search results supports the use of ivermectin against Bartonella infections. While ivermectin is used for other parasitic infections like onchocerciasis and strongyloidiasis, its role in treating Bartonella remains unconfirmed by this context.
~~~~~
This does not mean that ivermectin is not effective against Bartonella. It just means it has not been tested. My money is on ivermectin.
Foolish post. My daughter was diagnosed with all 3 20 years ago, Lyme’s, Bartonella and Babesia. By the time we figured it out and got her tested it had probably been 8 years after a known tick bite at age 12.
Treatment for the two B’s was fairly straightforward but Lyme’s took 6 years of ever shifting antibiotics to attack the shape shifting bacteria over and over again. She has permanent joint damage. They like to hide in bone marrow and joints.
It was an effing nightmare.
Go wash your mouth out with soap right now! The words some people use, sheesh! (/liberal)
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