Genetic Diversity of Bartonella Causing Pathological Conditions in Humans

Relevance. Bartonelloses is a group of infectious diseases caused by bacteria from the Bartonella genus with a high zoonotic potential. This genus has a large genetic diversity, with many candidate species, and at least 20 known as a pathogenic for humans. However, the epidemiology of these diseases and their role in human infectious pathology are not well understood.Aim of this review is to collect and organize data in order to better understand the genetic diversity and distribution of Bartonella species, with a particular focus on those that are pathogenic to humans. We will also discuss the current state of research on the epidemiology of bartonelloses.Conclusions. Bartonella genus have the potential to be of significant epidemiological importance due to their wide species diversity and frequent occurrence in various ecological niches. However, there is currently no official registration of bartonelloses in the Russian Federation and laboratory confirmation resources are limited. As a result, bartonelloses remains an underestimated disease group among infectious disease specialists despite recent discoveries of Bartonella species.