How many cats have bartonella henselae

Diagnostic testing Bartonella infections in symptomatic pets should be confirmed by culturing the organism from blood or tissues such as lymph node or heart valve in cases of endocarditis or by amplifying Bartonella -specific DNA sequences from tissues using PCR. Treatment Doxycycline, amoxicillin, enrofloxacin, and rifampin given for a long duration weeks may be effective in reducing the level of bacteremia in the infected cat or dog.

Prevention and control Dogs should be placed on an effective oral or topical flea prevention product such as fipronil, methoprene, Imidocloprid, or permethrin to protect them from fleas and tick infestations. Permethrin should never be used on cats. Other oral or topical flea prevention products are safe when used as directed. An indoor lifestyle for cats is preferable in the prevention of Bartonella transmission, as this environment will reduce the risk of flea infestation and contact time with other stray cats.

Discourage immunocompromised individuals from playing with or owning young cats. Advise against rough play with cats, particularly kittens and free-roaming feral cats, to prevent scratches. This is especially important for people who have weakened immune systems. All cat scratches should be washed promptly with soap and water. There are currently no vaccines available for cats or dogs against Bartonella spp. Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.

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You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. CDC is not responsible for Section compliance accessibility on other federal or private website. Cancel Continue. Try out PMC Labs and tell us what you think. Learn More. Among the many mammals infected with Bartonella spp. Cats are the main reservoir for Bartonella henselae , B. Dogs can be infected with B.

The role of dogs as an important reservoir of Bartonella spp. Nevertheless, dogs are excellent sentinels for human infections because a similar disease spectrum develops in dogs.

Transmission of B. We review current knowledge on the etiologic agents, clinical features, and epidemiologic characteristics of these emerging zoonoses. Bartonella spp. Among the 11 species or subspecies known or suspected to be pathogenic for humans, 6 have been isolated from pet dogs and cats Table 1. Domestic cats are the principal reservoir for Bartonella henselae , the main agent of cat-scratch disease CSD ; B.

Domestic dogs could be one of the reservoirs for B. Dogs can also be infected with B. Recently, 2 cases of endocarditis caused by B. Kelly et al. As with human disease, the clinical spectrum of Bartonella infection in dogs is expanding 2. Fleas play a major role in the transmission of feline Bartonella 7 , but other potential vectors, such as ticks and biting flies have been recently identified to harbor Bartonella DNA, including B.

This article provides an update on the etiologic agents, new clinical features, and evolving epidemiologic characteristics of these emerging zoonoses. We will not discuss the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Bartonella infections, as several recent review articles have been written on this subject 1 , 2 , Bartonella quintana in cynomolgus monkey Macaca fascicularis.

Emerg Infect Dis. Since the first isolation of B. The respective prevalence of these 2 genotypes varies considerably among cat populations from different areas. However, within a given country, the prevalence may also vary among cat populations. For instance, in France, Marseille type was the most common type in cats from the Nancy and Paris areas, whereas type Houston-1 was the main genotype in cats from Lyon or Marseille references cited in [ 2 ].

In various studies, the seroprevalence of antibodies to B. Table 2 gives comparative B. Such data are informative and cannot exclude possible serologic cross-reactivity with some other Bartonella spp. Despite the fact that B. In immunocompetent persons, CSD is mainly characterized by a benign regional lymphadenopathy. Usually after a cat scratch, a papule and then a pustule develop within 7 to 12 days at the injection site, followed by a regional lymphadenopathy usually involving a single lymph node 1—3 weeks later that can persist for few weeks to several months.

Low-grade fever, malaise, and aching are often reported; in some instances, headache, anorexia, and splenomegaly can occur.

Abscessed lymph nodes are reported occasionally. On the basis of serologic testing or polymerase chain reaction PCR , several recent publications have associated B. Neurologic forms are rare, and patients usually completely recover within 1 year without sequelae. Hepatosplenomegaly and osteolytic bone lesions have been described in persons seropositive for B. Pseudotumoral lesions involving the mammary glands, the liver, or the spleen and, recently, glomerulonephritis and cases of monoclonal and biclonal gammopathy have also been associated with B.

Usually, these clinical manifestations disappear in a few weeks to a few months. Bacteremia is rarely detected in immunocompetent persons. Several cases of endocarditis have been associated with B. Besides B. In immunocompromised patients, B.

Bacillary angiomatosis or peliosis is usually observed in highly immunocompromised persons low CD4 count , who often are infected with HIV. Several severe infections have also been reported in organ transplant recipients 1 , 2. The clinical spectrum of the infection in cats has not been fully investigated, but naturally infected cats primarily seem to be healthy carriers of the bacterium 1 , 2 , 6. However, cases of uveitis and rare cases of endocarditis have been molecularly associated with infection caused by B.

Seropositive cats were more likely to have kidney disease and urinary tract infections, stomatitis, and lymphadenopathy. In experimentally infected cats, fever, lymphadenopathy, mild neurologic signs, and reproductive disorders have been reported. This Bartonella sp. However, B. No specific pathologic features have been associated with natural infection in cats.

However, in experimentally coinfected cats B. In humans, B. Furthermore, anti-flagella FlaA —specific antibodies against B. However, substantial cross-reactivity between B. Until recently, it had been isolated only from 2 cats in California and 1 cat in France 2 , 4 , The first human case of B.