Abstract
Bartonellosis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution that can infect humans and a large number of mammals including small companion animals (cats and dogs). In recent years, an increasing number of studies from around the world have reported Bartonella infections, although publications have predominantly focused on the North American perspective. Currently, clinico-pathological data from Europe are more limited, suggesting that bartonellosis may be an infrequent or underdiagnosed infectious disease in cats and dogs. Research is needed to confirm or exclude Bartonella infection as a cause of a spectrum of feline and canine diseases. Bartonella spp. can cause acute or chronic infections in cats, dogs and humans. On a comparative medical basis, different clinical manifestations, such as periods of intermittent fever, granulomatous inflammation involving the heart, liver, lymph nodes and other tissues, endocarditis, bacillary angiomatosis, peliosis hepatis, uveitis and vasoproliferative tumors have been reported in cats, dogs and humans. The purpose of this review is to provide an update and European perspective on Bartonella infections in cats and dogs, including clinical, diagnostic, epidemiological, pathological, treatment and zoonotic aspects.
Highlights
Bartonella is a genus of Alphaproteobacteria within the family Bartonellaceae
Because serological testing for other Bartonella spp. is rarely performed in human medicine and due to difficulties associated with isolation or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of these bacteria from patient specimens, it is possible that B. koehlerae [12, 13], B. vinsonii berkhoffii, as well as other species are under-recognized as a cause of human illness [14, 15]
Based upon the recent and ongoing discovery of novel Bartonella spp. in hosts such as bats [172, 173] and rodents [174], it is likely that additional Bartonella spp., in conjunction with their respective reservoir host and vector, will be described
Summary
Bartonella spp. are small, thin, short and slightly curved, gram-negative, hemotropic and rod-shaped bacteria [1]. They are catalase, oxidase, urease and nitrate reductase negative [1]. Bartonella spp. are distributed throughout the world. The purpose of this review is to provide an update while emphasizing European literature relative to Bartonella spp. infections in cats and dogs, including clinical, Clinically relevant Bartonella species described in cats, dogs and humans At least thirteen Bartonella species or subspecies have been recognized as agents of human disease, three species are reportedly responsible for the majority of clinical illness: B. bacilliformis, B. quintana and B. henselae [11]. Because serological testing for other Bartonella spp. is rarely performed in human medicine and due to difficulties associated with isolation or PCR amplification of these bacteria from patient specimens, it is possible that B. koehlerae [12, 13], B. vinsonii berkhoffii, as well as other species are under-recognized as a cause of human illness [14, 15]
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