270. Zoonotic Bartonella Infection and Neuropsychiatric Illness in Humans

Only available as part of a package

Bartonella infection has recently been reported in people with a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions. This session will introduce the connection between bacterial infections and neuropsychiatric disease; review the transmission and common disease manifestations of zoonotic Bartonella species; and provide an update on recent studies linking Bartonella infection and neuropsychiatric illnesses.

Erin Lashnits

M.S., DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM (SAIM)

University of Wisconsin | Madison, Wis.

Dr. Lashnits is a clinical assistant professor in small animal internal medicine at University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. She received her master's in biology from Stanford University, DVM from Cornell University, and Ph.D. in comparative biomedical sciences from North Carolina State University. After completing an internship at a private practice in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Lashnits spent several years in small animal GP/ER while simultaneously teaching high school chemistry. She later finished her internal medicine residency through the clinician investigator program at North Carolina State. Her broad research interests are in infectious disease epidemiology in a One Health context—particularly zoonotic and vector borne diseases—and infectious diseases that impact underserved veterinary populations. Her current studies include characterization of the flea microbiome and flea-borne diseases in free-roaming cats, as well as investigating Bartonella transmission and Babesia prevalence in the Midwest.