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Journal ArticleDOI

Dogs are more permissive than cats or guinea pigs to experimental infection with a human isolate of Bartonella rochalimae.

TL;DR: It is suggested that dogs could be a reservoir of this strain of B. rochalimae, in contrast to cats and guinea pigs, that was first isolated from the blood of a human who traveled to Peru and was exposed to multiple insect bites.
Abstract: Bartonella rochalimae was first isolated from the blood of a human who traveled to Peru and was exposed to multiple insect bites. Foxes and dogs are likely natural reservoirs for this bacterium. We report the results of experimental inoculation of two dogs, five cats and six guinea pigs with the only human isolate of this new Bartonella species. Both dogs became bacteremic for 5-7 weeks, with a peak of 10 3 -10 4 colony forming units (CFU)/mL blood. Three cats had low bacteremia levels (< 200 CFU/mL) of 6-8 weeks' duration. One cat that remained seronegative had two bacterial colonies isolated at a single culture time point. A fifth cat never became bacteremic, but seroconverted. None of the guinea pigs became bacteremic, but five seroconverted. These results suggest that dogs could be a reservoir of this strain of B. rochalimae, in contrast to cats and guinea pigs. Bartonella rochalimae / dogs / cats / guinea pigs / zoonosis

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used immuno-fluorescence antibody test directed against B.v.b and Bartonella clarridgeiae (B.c.), used as a substitute for B.b.c., to determine the prevalence of bacteremia and seropositivity in island foxes.

17 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This mouse model for B. tamiae induced disease not only strengthens the causal link between this pathogen and clinical illness in humans, but provides a model to further study the pathological processes induced by these bacteria.
Abstract: Bartonella tamiae, a newly described bacterial species, was isolated from the blood of three hospitalized patients in Thailand. These patients presented with headache, myalgia, anemia, and mild liver function abnormalities. Since B. tamiae was presumed to be the cause of their illness, these isolates were inoculated into immunocompetent mice to determine their relative pathogenicity in inducing manifestations of disease and pathology similar to that observed in humans. Three groups of four Swiss Webster female mice aged 15-18 months were each inoculated with 106-7 colony forming units of one of three B. tamiae isolates [Th239, Th307, and Th339]. A mouse from each experimental group was sampled at 3, 4, 5 and 6 weeks post-inoculation. Two saline inoculated age-matched controls were included in the study. Samples collected at necropsy were evaluated for the presence of B. tamiae DNA, and tissues were formalin-fixed, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and examined for histopathology. Following inoculation with B. tamiae, mice developed ulcerative skin lesions and subcutaneous masses on the lateral thorax, as well as axillary and inguinal lymphadenopathy. B. tamiae DNA was found in subcutaneous masses, lymph node, and liver of inoculated mice. Histopathological changes were observed in tissues of inoculated mice, and severity of lesions correlated with the isolate inoculated, with the most severe pathology induced by B. tamiae Th239. Mice inoculated with Th239 and Th339 demonstrated myocarditis, lymphadenitis with associated vascular necrosis, and granulomatous hepatitis and nephritis with associated hepatocellular and renal necrosis. Mice inoculated with Th307 developed a deep dermatitis and granulomas within the kidneys. The three isolates of B. tamiae evaluated in this study induce disease in immunocompetent Swiss Webster mice up to 6 weeks after inoculation. The human patients from whom these isolates were obtained had clinical presentations consistent with the multi-organ pathology observed in mice in this study. This mouse model for B. tamiae induced disease not only strengthens the causal link between this pathogen and clinical illness in humans, but provides a model to further study the pathological processes induced by these bacteria.

12 citations


Cites background from "Dogs are more permissive than cats ..."

  • ...berkhoffii are cats and dogs (canines), respectively, and these animals can serve as models for Bartonella bacteria infection and disease processes [19-21]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The data support that dogs are likely accidental hosts for B. henselae, just like humans, and are efficient reservoirs for both B. berkhoffii and B. rochalimae.

11 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper investigated the prevalence and diversity of Bartonella infections in small mammals in the Qaidam Basin, western China, and found that B. grahamii was the dominant epidemic strain with an infection rate of 38.61%.
Abstract: Investigation of the prevalence and diversity of Bartonella infections in small mammals in the Qaidam Basin, western China, could provide a scientific basis for the control and prevention of Bartonella infections in humans. Accordingly, in this study, small mammals were captured using snap traps in Wulan County and Ge’ermu City, Qaidam Basin, China. Spleen and brain tissues were collected and cultured to isolate Bartonella strains. The suspected positive colonies were detected with polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of gltA, ftsZ, RNA polymerase beta subunit (rpoB) and ribC genes. Among 101 small mammals, 39 were positive for Bartonella, with the infection rate of 38.61%. The infection rate in different tissues (spleens and brains) (χ2 = 0.112, P = 0.738) and gender (χ2 = 1.927, P = 0.165) of small mammals did not have statistical difference, but that in different habitats had statistical difference (χ2 = 10.361, P = 0.016). Through genetic evolution analysis, 40 Bartonella strains were identified (two different Bartonella species were detected in one small mammal), including B. grahamii (30), B. jaculi (3), B. krasnovii (3) and Candidatus B. gerbillinarum (4), which showed rodent-specific characteristics. B. grahamii was the dominant epidemic strain (accounted for 75.0%). Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis showed that B. grahamii in the Qaidam Basin, might be close to the strains isolated from Japan and China. Overall, we observed a high prevalence of Bartonella infection in small mammals in the Qaidam Basin. B. grahamii may cause human disease, and the pathogenicity of the others Bartonella species needs further study, the corresponding prevention and control measures should be taken into consideration.

11 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Most of the cats seroconverted, but only the cats inoculated with B. rochalimae became bacteremic, indicating that cats are not natural hosts of A. felis or the other Bartonella species or subspecies tested in this study.

10 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Pets represent a large reservoir for human infection and can be a source of infection for humans and animals alike.
Abstract: Among the many mammals infected with Bartonella spp., pets represent a large reservoir for human infection because most Bartonella spp. infecting them are zoonotic. Cats are the main reservoir for Bartonella henselae, B. clarridgeiae, and B. koehlerae. Dogs can be infected with B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae, B. washoensis, B. elizabethae, and B. quintana. The role of dogs as an important reservoir of Bartonella spp. is less clear than for cats because domestic dogs are more likely to be accidental hosts, at least in nontropical regions. Nevertheless, dogs are excellent sentinels for human infections because a similar disease spectrum develops in dogs. Transmission of B. henselae by cat fleas is better understood, although new potential vectors (ticks and biting flies) have been identified. We review current knowledge on the etiologic agents, clinical features, and epidemiologic characteristics of these emerging zoonoses.

398 citations


"Dogs are more permissive than cats ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...clarridgeiae, a species for which cats are the natural reservoir [6]....

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  • ...In the subsequent ten years after recognition of this organism in domestic dogs, six other species of Bartonella were identified in dogs, in association with various clinical manifestations [6]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: P phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the isolate indicated that this organism, which can induce endocarditis in dogs, is a novel Bartonella subspecies containing an insertion sequence unique among currently recognized Bart onella species.
Abstract: Vegetative valvular endocarditis involving the aortic and, to a lesser extent, mitral valves was diagnosed echocardiographically in a 3-year-old spayed female Labrador retriever. Historically, the dog had been treated with tetracycline hydrochloride and prednisolone for positive seroreactivity to Ehrlichia canis and antinuclear antigens. Although three aerobic and anaerobic blood cultures failed to grow bacteria, blood cultured simultaneously by the lysis centrifugation technique grew a fastidious, gram-negative organism. Despite an initial therapeutic response, the owner elected euthanasia 17 days later. Necropsy confirmed aortic and mitral valvular endocarditis. Bacteria phenotypically similar to Bartonella species were visualized in the heart valve by light and electron microscopy, and Bartonella DNA from a frozen heart valve was amplified by PCR. Subsequent phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the isolate, including biochemical testing, cellular fatty acid analysis, DNA hybridization, and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that this organism, which can induce endocarditis in dogs, is a novel Bartonella subspecies containing an insertion sequence unique among currently recognized Bartonella species. The name Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkoffii subsp. nov. will be proposed for this organism.

202 citations


"Dogs are more permissive than cats ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...berkhoffii), was isolated from a dog with vegetative valvular endocarditis [3]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A patient who had fever and splenomegaly after traveling to Peru and also had bacteremia from an organism that resembled Bartonella bacilliformis was described, which revealed that this fastidious bacterium represented a previously uncultured and unnamed bartonella species.
Abstract: Bartonella species cause serious human infections globally, including bacillary angiomatosis, Oroya fever, trench fever, and endocarditis. We describe a patient who had fever and splenomegaly after traveling to Peru and also had bacteremia from an organism that resembled Bartonella bacilliformis, the causative agent of Oroya fever, which is endemic to Peru. However, genetic analyses revealed that this fastidious bacterium represented a previously uncultured and unnamed bartonella species, closely related to B. clarridgeiae and more distantly related to B. bacilliformis. We characterized this isolate, including its ability to cause fever and sustained bacteremia in a rhesus macaque. The route of infection and burden of human disease associated with this newly described pathogen are currently unknown.

191 citations


"Dogs are more permissive than cats ..." refers background or methods in this paper

  • ...rochalimae [9] was identified in a Pulex flea collected on a human in Cuzco, Peru, based on the sequence of a fragment of the intergenic spacer region (ITS) [20]....

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  • ...Furthermore, guinea pigs are commonly infested by Pulex simulans fleas that will feed readily on humans, and a Bartonella species nearly identical to the human isolate of B. rochalimae [9] was identified in a Pulex flea collected on a human in Cuzco, Peru, based on the sequence of a fragment of the intergenic spacer region (ITS) [20]....

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  • ...Because exposure to B. rochalimae likely occurred when the American woman tourist was traveling in Peru, we sought to identify which of the domestic animals usually present in traditional rural Peruvian households, i.e. dogs, cats and guinea pigs, could serve as a permissive reservoir host for B. rochalimae, using experimental inoculation of animals with the only human isolate available worldwide [9]....

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  • ...Even though the American tourist denied exposure to cats during her trip to Peru [9], and pet cats are not as common as dogs in traditional rural Peruvian households, it was nevertheless important to investigate the susceptibility of cats to this human strain, because B. rochalimae is most closely related genetically to B. clarridgeiae, a species for which cats are the natural reservoir [6]....

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  • ...To date, isolates of this new Bartonella species have been cultured from mammals in the new world, including from a human who traveled to South America [9], and from gray foxes, raccoons, coyotes and domestic dogs in California [11, 12]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: These studies indicate that B. henselae exists in an almost perfect host-parasite relationship with its feline host, but that most cats can ultimately rid themselves of the infection.
Abstract: Domestic cats were experimentally infected with culture propagated Bartonella henselae by intradermal (i.d.) and intravenous (i.v.) routes. Cats were more efficiently infected by the i.d. (8/8 cats) than by the i.v. (2/16) route. Bacteremia was detected 1-3 weeks following inoculation and lasted for most cats for 1-8 months. However, one naturally infected cat was observed for 24 months and was found to be cyclically bacteremic, with bacterial levels varying one hundred fold or more from one period to another. No clinical or hematologic abnormalities were observed in any of the infected cats, even at the peak of bacteremia. Two cats that had become abacteremic were resistant to reinfection when inoculated with B. henselae a second time. Horizontal transmission through intimate contact between bacteremic and susceptible cats did not occur, and antibody positive bacteremic queens did not transmit the infection to their kittens in utero, peri-partum or post-partum. Only four of the 18 kittens acquired detectable levels of maternal antibody following nursing, which disappeared by 6 weeks of age. These studies indicate that B. henselae exists in an almost perfect host-parasite relationship with its feline host, but that most cats can ultimately rid themselves of the infection. The susceptibility of cats to intradermal infection and the lack of direct cat-cat transmission are compatible with possible arthropod vectors.

161 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Serologic surveys in Egypt have documented human and animal exposure to vector-borne bacterial pathogens, but the presence and distribution of these agents in arthropods has not been determined and fleas were collected from mammals trapped in 17 cities throughout Egypt.
Abstract: Serologic surveys in Egypt have documented human and animal exposure to vector-borne bacterial pathogens, but the presence and distribution of these agents in arthropods has not been determined. Between July 2002 and July 2003, fleas were collected from 221 mammals trapped in 17 cities throughout Egypt. A total of 987 fleas were collected, representing four species (Ctenocephalides felis, Echidnophaga gallinacea, Leptopsylla segnis, and Xenopsylla cheopis); 899 of these fleas were X. cheopis from rats (Rattus spp.). Fleas were tested for DNA from Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetii, Ehrlichia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Yersinia pestis. Rickettsia typhi, the agent of murine typhus, was detected in X. cheopis and L. segnis from rats from nine cities. A spotted-fever group Rickettsia sp. similar to "RF2125" was detected in E. gallinacea, and two unidentified spotted fever group Rickettsia were detected in two X. cheopis. Novel Bartonella genotypes were detected in X. cheopis and L. segnis from three cities. Coxiella burnetii was detected in two fleas. Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Y. pestis were not detected.

142 citations