As an alternative, Speakman has put forward a non-adaptive scenario — the drifty gene hypothesis. According to this idea, genetic drift — the change of gene frequencies due to random, non-selective processes— could explain the current incidence of obesity seen in modern, industrialized populations. Speakman has hypothesized that the threat of predation on early humans may have provided a strong...

BACKGROUND Bartonella henselae is the causative agent of cat-scratch disease. AIM To study the seroepidemiology of Bartonella henselae in healthy Chilean children and in a population with occupational risk. MATERIAL AND METHODS Serum IgG antibodies were determined by indirect fluorescence technique in 181 children and adolescents and in 107 technical and professional workers involved in the...

Few data are available on the seroprevalence of antibodies to Bartonella henselae among children. We retrospectively evaluated the presence of immunoglobulin G and M class antibodies to B. henselae in 508 children living in central Italy who were apparently free of any features suggesting B. henselae infection. We found that B. henselae infection is common among children in central Italy, occur...

The possibility of Bartonella clarridgeiae being a causative agent of cat scratch disease (CSD) was investigated by using indirect fluorescence antibody assays with 288 suspected CSD patients. Immunoglobulin G antibody to noncocultivated B. clarridgeiae was suitable only for detection of B. clarridgeiae antibody. Significant cross-reactivity between Bartonella henselae and B. clarridgeiae was n...

We report a case of isolated splenic cat scratch disease in an immunocompetent woman. The clinical presentation of prolonged fever, night sweats, weakness, and intrasplenic lesions was highly suggestive of lymphoma. This is the second reported case of isolated splenic cat scratch disease in an adult and the first in a healthy adult.