Exposure of Domestic Cats to Three Zoonotic Bartonella Species in the United States.

Lynn M Osikowicz,Kalanthe Horiuchi,Edward B Breitschwerdt,Bruno Chomel,Brad J Biggerstaff,Irina Goodrich,Michael Kosoy

doi:10.3390/pathogens10030354

Abstract

Cat-associated Bartonella species, which include B. henselae, B. koehlerae, and B. clarridgeiae, can cause mild to severe illness in humans. In the present study, we evaluated 1362 serum samples obtained from domestic cats across the U.S. for seroreactivity against three species and two strain types of Bartonella associated with cats (B. henselae type 1, B. henselae type 2, B. koehlerae, and B. clarridgeiae) using an indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA). Overall, the seroprevalence at the cutoff titer level of ≥1:64 was 23.1%. Seroreactivity was 11.1% and 3.7% at the titer level cutoff of ≥1:128 and at the cutoff of ≥1:256, respectively. The highest observation of seroreactivity occurred in the East South-Central, South Atlantic, West North-Central, and West South-Central regions. The lowest seroreactivity was detected in the East North-Central, Middle Atlantic, Mountain, New England, and Pacific regions. We observed reactivity against all four Bartonella spp. antigens in samples from eight out of the nine U.S. geographic regions.

Highlights

Domestic and wild felines are the natural vertebrate reservoirs for several zoonotic Bartonella species, which include B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae, and B. koehlerae [1,2]
As the designation of Cat Scratch Disease (CSD) is limited to only two cat-associated Bartonella species, exposure to cats or their fleas, and defined symptoms, the term “bartonellosis” is more appropriate as it encompasses a broad range of disease presentation, routes of transmission, and Bartonella species
At the cutoff titer of ≥1:64, using results from the Poisson regression model, we estimated that samples had a prevalence ratio of 0.07 of being seroreactive to B. clarridgeiae when seroreactive to both B. henselae type 1 and B. henselae type 2

Summary

Introduction

Domestic and wild felines are the natural vertebrate reservoirs for several zoonotic Bartonella species, which include B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae, and B. koehlerae [1,2]. Laboratory findings of basophilia have been documented in cats serologically positive for B. henselae [9] These cat-associated Bartonella species infect humans exposed to an infected animal or its ectoparasites, typically through a scratch contaminated with infected flea feces [2]. The clinical symptoms associated with a B. henselae infection in humans are collectively known as Cat Scratch Disease (CSD). Bartonella clarridgeiae can cause a typical CSD presentation, including symptoms such as inoculation papules, fever, and lymphadenopathy [20]. While not typically considered a CSD agent, B. koehlerae can cause a variety of symptoms, including fever, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, neurological complications, blurred vision, hallucinations, and endocarditis [21,22,23,24]. As the designation of CSD is limited to only two cat-associated Bartonella species, exposure to cats or their fleas, and defined symptoms, the term “bartonellosis” is more appropriate as it encompasses a broad range of disease presentation, routes of transmission, and Bartonella species

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Conclusion