Epidemiology of Bartonella infection in domestic cats in France

Blood samples were collected between February and June 1996 from a convenience sample of 436 domestic French cats living in Paris and its environs and were tested for Bartonella bacteremia and seropositivity. Seventy-two cats (16.5%) were Bartonella bacteremic, of which 36 cats (50%) were infected with Bartonella henselae type II (B.h. II) only, 15 cats (21%) were infected with Bartonella clarridgeiae (B.c.) only, and 11 cats (15%) were infected with B. henselae type I (B.h. I) only. Eight cats (11%) were co-infected with B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae (B.h. II/B.c.: five cats; B.h. I/B.c.: three cats). Two cats (2.8%) were concurrently bacteremic with B. henselae types I and II. Risk factors associated with bacteremia included ownership for <6months (prevalence ratio (PR)=1.80; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.13-2.85), adoption from the pound or found as a stray (PR=1.67, 95% CI=1.05-2.65), and cohabitation with one or more cats (PR=1.60, 95% CI=1.01-2.53). Bartonella antibodies to either B. henselae or B. clarridgeiae were detected in 179 cats (41.1%). Risk factors associated with seroposivity paralleled those for bacteremia, except for lack of association with time of ownership. Prevalence ratios of bacteremic or seropositive cats increased with the number of cats per household (p=0.02). The lack of antibodies to B. henselae or B. clarridgeiae was highly predictive of the absence of bacteremia (predictive value of a negative test=97.3%). Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that bacteremia, after adjustment for age and flea infestation, and positive serology, after adjustment for age, were associated with origin of adoption and number of cats in the household. Flea infestation was associated with positive serology.     

Experimental infection of domestic cats with passaged genotype I Bartonella henselae

The influence of in vitro passage on Bartonella henselae pathogenesis in cats has not been thoroughly evaluated. Our objective was to examine the bacterial kinetics and humoral immune responses in cats experimentally infected with three different in vitro passages of B. henselae F1, a genotype I strain of feline origin. The F1 strain was in vitro passaged 20 and 40 times, and each was inoculated into a group of 5 cats. The kinetics of bacteremia and the feline humoral immune response to bacterial antigens were compared to a previous study involving a group of six cats inoculated with the original F1 strain. Among the three groups of cats, the kinetics of bacteremia profiles and the humoral immune responses to B. henselae lysates were similar. The influence of passage on bacterial membrane proteins was examined. In vitro passage altered the expression of 4/17 (23.5%) bacterial membrane proteins and 6/15 (40%) bacterial membrane antigens. An association between poor seroreactivity to three lysate antigens (15-, 18- and 45kDa), prolonged bacteremia and decreased serum bactericidal activity was noted. Our data show that in vitro passage of B. henselae did not alter the kinetics of bacteremia, including the occurrence of relapsing bacteremia, in experimentally infected cats. This suggests that highly passaged strains may not be suitable for future vaccination studies. Furthermore, in vitro passage results in phenotypic and antigenic changes in the bacterial membrane protein profile, which warrants caution in the interpretation of studies involving passaged B. henselae strains.     

Bartonella henselae infection in splenectomized domestic cats previously infected with hemotropic Mycoplasma species

Cat scratch disease is caused by Bartonella henselae and the domestic cat represents its main reservoir. In immunocompromised patients, infection with B. henselae is characterized by more severe clinical forms than in non-immunocompromised individuals. The objective of the present study was to investigate the characteristics of B. henselae (Houston-I strain) infection in four splenectomized and three non-splenectomized cats, five of which were chronically infected with 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum'. No major clinical signs were observed in either group of cats. Cats in both splenectomized and non-splenectomized groups became bacteremic within a week post-inoculation. Although bacteremia was on average 10 days longer in the splenectomized cats, that difference was not statistically significant (P=0.72). In both groups, the level of bacteremia peaked within the same time frame; however, the level of bacteremia was about 10-fold higher in the splenectomized cats (P=0.007). Such a difference could be associated with a reduced immune response to the infection, especially a reduced ability to phagocytize Bartonella organisms in the splenectomized cats. Concurrent infection with 'Candidatus M. haemominutum' did not appear to alter the course of infection.     

Bartonella henselae bacteraemia in domestic cats from Auckland

Bartonella henselae causes most cases of cat scratch disease, a self-limited localised lymphadenopathy illness of humans. Bartonella henselae also causes disseminated cutaneous and visceral disease in immunocompromised people. Cat blood (1-5 ml) collected from cats in the Auckland area was processed and plated on to 5% sheep blood brain heart infusion agar and incubated at 35 degrees C in 5% CO2 for 14 days. Bartonella henselae was identified by colony morphology, Gram's stain, twitching motility, biochemical tests and molecular methods. Eight of 48 cats (17%) had Bartonella bacteraemia. Species-specific probes and biochemical profiles identified all isolates as B. henselae. Infected cats pose a risk to humans they lick, scratch or bite. People should be made aware of the risk cats pose.     

Prevalence of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae in cats and dogs in Korea

Blood, saliva, and nail samples were collected from 54 dogs and 151 cats and analyzed for the presence of Bartonella henselae with a novel nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Bartonella (B.) henselae was detected in feral cat blood (41.8%), saliva (44.1%), and nail (42.7%) samples. B. henselae was also detected in pet cat blood (33.3%), saliva (43.5%), and nail (29.5%) samples and in pet dog blood (16.6%), saliva (18.5%), and nail (29.6%) samples. Nine samples were infected with B. clarridgeiae and 2 were co-infected with B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae of blood samples of dogs. This report is the first to investigate the prevalence of B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae in dogs and cats in Korea, and suggests that dogs and cats may serve as potential Bartonella reservoirs.     

Prevalence of feline leukemia virus infection in domestic cats in Rio de Janeiro

Peripheral blood smears of 1094 domestic cats were collected and tested by indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay for p27 antigen in cells to study the prevalence and risk factors for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Sex, age, breed, outdoor access, neutering status, type of habitation (household, shelter, veterinary clinics and other places), number of household cats and clinical signs were registered on a form. Among the tested samples, 11.52% were positive. Risk factors for FeLV infection included outdoor access, age range between 1 and 5 years old, and cohabitation with numerous cats.     

Occurrence of Bartonella henselae types I and II in Central Italian domestic cats

Serological and molecular surveys were conducted to determine the occurrence of Bartonella henselae in domestic cats in Central Italy. Samples from 234 pet cats were tested for B. henselae antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence with 78 (33.3%) positive. A PCR assay specific for the Bartonella 16S rRNA gene was carried out on DNA samples extracted from blood of the 234 cats; 26 (11.1%) of the seropositive cats were positive. Two PCR protocols, which discriminate genotypes I and II of B. henselae, were performed on all DNA samples. Sixteen (6.8%) cats were infected by genotype I, 6 (2.5%) by genotype II, and two males (0.8%) by both genotypes. Two female (0.8%) cats which were Bartonella sp. PCR positive, gave negative results with the types I and II PCR. This protocol facilitates the direct and rapid detection of Bartonella DNA in feline blood samples, and differentiates B. henselae genotypes.     

Alternaria species infection in nine domestic cats

A case series of nine domestic cats with culture-confirmed Alternaria species infection is presented, with conclusions drawn regarding signalment, clinical signs, treatment and outcome. Middle aged neutered males were over-represented and all presented with cutaneous lesions involving the extremities (nose, pinnae and digits). Lesions were mainly slow-growing, poorly circumscribed nodules or plaques but some also presented as non-healing wounds. A combination of surgical excision with adjunctive medical therapy appeared to be the most successful treatment option but long courses of medical therapy were generally required and recurrence was common.     

A serological investigation of Bartonella henselae infection in cats in Turkey

Bartonella henselae is the causative agent of cat scratch disease (CSD) in humans. Cats are the main reservoir of this bacterium and may infect humans through scratches and bites. The purpose of this study was to determine the B. henselae seroprevalence in cats in Turkey. A total of 298 cats blood samples were collected from six different provinces of Turkey. Sera were tested for the presence of anti-B. henselae IgG antibodies by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFA). The seroprevalence of B. henselae was 27.9% (83/298) for the cats examined in this study. The seroprevalence of cats by province was significantly higher in Bursa (41.3%), Adana (33.9%), Aydin (27.5%) and Burdur (32.3%) than in Kayseri (17.9%) and Istanbul (12.5%). Statistically significant differences were not observed between cat sexes and living conditions of cats. The results revealed that B. henselae is an important zoonotic pathogen in Turkey.     

Prevalence of Bartonella species antibodies and Bartonella species DNA in the blood of cats with and without fever

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are associations between Bartonella species antibody (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot (WB)) and polymerase chain reaction assay results in cats with and without fever. Afebrile control cats (39/93; 42.0%) were more likely to have Bartonella species antibodies than cats with fever (29/93; 31.2%). The difference in prevalence of Bartonella species deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in blood of cats with fever (14/81; 17.3%) as compared to afebrile control cats (6/81; 7.4%) approached statistical significance (P=0.0571). Bartonella species ELISA or WB results frequently did not correlate to the presence or absence of Bartonella species DNA in blood. The results of this study indicate that in cats, Bartonella species antibody tests cannot predict whether fever is due to Bartonella species infection and should not be used to determine the Bartonella species infection status.     

Prevalence of Bartonella species, haemoplasmas and Toxoplasma gondii in cats in Scotland

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence rates for select infectious agents of cats presented to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Whole blood, serum, and oral mucosal and nail bed swabs were collected. While Ehrlichia species, Anaplasma species or Rickettsia felis DNA were not amplified from any cat, 44.2% of the cats had evidence of infection or exposure to either a Bartonella species (15.3% were seropositive and 5.8% polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive), a haemoplasma (28.6% PCR positive), and/or Toxoplasma gondii (19.2% seropositive). No Bartonella species DNA was amplified from the nail or oral mucosal swabs despite a 5.8% amplification rate from the blood samples. This finding likely reflects the absence of Ctenocephalides felis infection from our study population, as this organism is a key component for Bartonella species translocation in cats. The results from this study support the use of flea control products to lessen exposure of cats (and people) to Bartonella species and support discouraging the feeding of raw meat to cats and preventing them from hunting to lessen T gondii infection.     

Prevalence of Bartonella henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiae and the 16S rRNA gene types of Bartonella henselae among pet cats in Japan

The authors investigated bacteriologically the prevalence of Bartonella infection among 690 pet cats derived from 10 private animal hospitals in six cities (Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture; Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture; Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture; Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecutre; Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture; Sanda, Hyogo Prefecutre) and 4 counties (Mishima, Osaka Prefecture; Hikawa, Shimane Prefecture; Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture; Shimajiri, Okinawa Prefecture) located from the north to the south of Japan. Bartonella species were isolated from 7.2% (50/690) of all the cats examined. No Bartonella species were isolated from the cats in Sapporo or Sendai. The isolation rate varied from 2% in Joetsu and Sanda to 20% in Shimajiri. Bartonella clarridgeiae was isolated from two of 50 cats in Kyoto, three of 50 in Mishima and one of 50 in Shimajiri, but not in cats from the other cities or counties. Though the cats of Joetsu, Fujisawa, Kyoto, Sanda, Aira and Shimajiri were infected with either B. henselae or B. clarridgeiae, one of eight infected cats in Mishima was harboring both Bartonella species. Type I of 16S rRNA gene was the predominant type among the isolates of B. henselae, but only one isolate derived from Shimajiri was found to be of type II. Prevalence of B. clarridgeiae and the 16S rRNA gene type of B. henselae among cats in Japan was demonstrated for the first time in this investigation.     

Prevalence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a cohort of British Shorthair cats in Denmark

Background: Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has been described previously in British Shorthair cats (BSH), but until now, no reports have been published describing the prevalence of the disease within this breed. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of HCM in a large cohort of BSH and to evaluate the effect of sex, weight, and increasing age as potential risk factors for this disease. Animals: Three hundred and twenty‐nine BSH presented for routine HCM screening during a 4‐year period. Methods: Prospective cross‐sectional study in which all cats were screened for HCM by conventional echocardiography. Results: A total of 329 cats were examined, 214 females and 115 males, with a median age of 2.3 years (range, 0.8–14.1). Twenty‐eight cats (8.5%) were classified as HCM‐positive, 14 (4.3%) as equivocal, 282 (85.7%) as HCM‐negative, and 5 (2.1%) were diagnosed with other cardiac diseases. The median age for diagnosis of HCM was 2.7 years (range, 0.9–14.1). Male cats had a significantly higher occurrence of HCM (20.4%) compared with the females (2.1%) corresponding to an odds ratio of 7.89 (95 % CI, 2.54–28.08) for males versus females adjusted for age and weight (P < .001). Conclusion: The BSH in our cohort had a high prevalence of HCM, often of early onset and with a significant male sex predisposition. We strongly recommend echocardiographic screening in this breed, especially cats used for breeding.     

Three cases of cowpox infection of domestic cats

Since October 1982 three cases of cowpox infection of the cat have been presented at a veterinary practice. The disease began as a focal dermatitis on the face or paws which spread after several days to the rest of the body. Two weeks after appearing the pocks scabbed over and fell off leaving hairless skin. There were few systemic signs and therapy did not appear to influence the course of the disease. Diagnosis was confirmed by the demonstration of pox virions or inclusion bodies in skin biopsy or scab material using electron microscopy and by isolation of cowpox virus in chick embryos. High antibody titres to cowpox were observed in the sera of two cats.     

Evidence of Bartonella henselae infection in cats and dogs in the United Kingdom

Sera from cats and dogs in the UK were tested by ELISA for antibodies to Bartonella henselae. Seropositivity was confirmed in 28 of 69 pet cats (40.6 per cent), 33 of 79 feral cats (41.8 per cent) and three of 100 pet dogs. Reactivity to specific B. henselae antigens was confirmed by Western blotting and demonstrated that consistent antigenic bands were bound by sera from the cats and dogs.     

Prevalence of hemoplasmas and Bartonella species in client-owned cats in Beijing and Shanghai,China

A year-round molecular epidemiological survey (2017 to 2018) was conducted on three hemoplasmas and two Bartonella species with zoonotic potential in client-owned cats in Beijing and Shanghai. Among 668 specimens, the overall hemoplasma-positive rate was 4.9% (3.4% for Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum, 0.9% for Mycoplasma haemofelis and 1.2% for Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis). The overall Bartonella-positive rate was 8.5% (4.8% for B. henselae and 4.3% for B. clarridgeiae). Age, breed, ectoparasiticide use and stray history, but not city, season and gender, were significantly associated with the positive rates of one or more pathogens. This is also the first report on the prevalence of Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis in cats in China.     

Cryptosporidium infection in cats: prevalence of infection in domestic and feral cats in the Glasgow area.

A clinical and post mortem survey of domestic and feral cats in the Glasgow area revealed that 19 of 235 (8.1 per cent) were infected with Cryptosporidium species. More kittens than adults were infected (P less than 0.01), and of 51 of the cats which had diarrhoea, four also had cryptosporidium infection. Of seven domestic cats with cryptosporidium infection, two were also positive for feline immunodeficiency virus. There was no significant difference between the prevalence of cryptosporidium infection in domestic and feral cats. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in faecal and mucosal impression smears stained with auramine-phenol and modified Ziehl-Nielsen techniques. Endogenous developmental stages of cryptosporidium were found in the microvillus region of enterocytes of eight of 19 positive cats in sections stained with haematoxylin and eosin. The results suggest that cryptosporidium infection is common among young and newborn kittens, and that the disease is usually asymptomatic.     

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in Belgian house cats

Five hundred and sixty seven sera of healthy house cats aged 3 months to 7 years, were examined for the presence of anti-toxoplasma antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence assay and compared to SAG1 and TLA enzyme linked immunosorbent assays as alternative test. Twenty-five percent of cats tested positive for IgG and/or IgM. Seroprevalence increased with age from 2% below 12 months of age up to 44% at age 7. Sensitivities of SAG1 and TLA ELISA were 84.1% and 88.6%, respectively. Peak levels in seroprevalence were correlated to increased IgG titers in TLA ELISA. Our results suggest that T. gondii infections are common in house cats and that there is a high chance for a negative cat to seroconvert in its second life-year.