A confusing case of canine vector-borne disease: clinical signs and progression in a dog co-infected with Ehrlichia canis and Bartonella vinsonii ssp. berkhoffii

Edward B Breitschwerdt,Ricardo G Maggi

doi:10.1186/1756-3305-2-s1-s3

Edward B Breitschwerdt, Ricardo G Maggi

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-2-s1-s3

Copy DOI

Journal: Parasites & Vectors	Publication Date: Jan 1, 2009
Citations: 10	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: North Carolina State University

Abstract

Bartonella spp. are important pathogens in human and veterinary medicine, and bartonellosis is considered as an emerging zoonosis that is being reported with increasing frequency. Of 22 known species and subspecies of Bartonella, seven have been isolated from dogs, causing disease manifestations similar to those seen in human beings. The wide variety of clinical signs and the possible chronic progression of disease manifestations are illustrated in the case of an infected Labrador retriever. Here, the authors discuss the seemingly diverse spectrum of disease manifestations, the co-infections of Bartonella spp. with other vector-borne pathogens (mainly Ehrlichia spp. or Babesia spp.) and the difficulties in microbiological confirmation of an active Bartonella infection, all of which make the disease pathogenesis and clinical diagnosis more problematic.

Highlights

The most prevalent Bartonella species in dogs, B. vinsonii ssp. berkhoffii, was initially isolated from a dog with endocarditis and intermittent epistaxis in 1993 [1,2]. This pathogen has been associated with cardiac arrhythmias, myocarditis, granulomatous rhinitis, anterior uveitis and chorioditis [1,3,4,5,6]
Other Bartonella species which have been associated with pathology and clinical signs in dogs, including endocarditis, hepatic disease and sudden death are: B. henselae [7,8,9,10,11], B. clarridgeiae [9,12], B. washoensis [13], B. elizabethae [14] and B. quintana [15]
The first and the last, B. henselae and B. quintana, were detected in the blood or lymph nodes of healthy dogs and dogs suffering from lymphoma [8]

Summary

Introduction

The most prevalent Bartonella species in dogs, B. vinsonii ssp. berkhoffii, was initially isolated from a dog with endocarditis and intermittent epistaxis in 1993 [1,2]. The most prevalent Bartonella species in dogs, B. vinsonii ssp. Berkhoffii, was initially isolated from a dog with endocarditis and intermittent epistaxis in 1993 [1,2].

Results

Conclusion