Abstract
(1) Background: Bartonella spp. are Gram-negative, facultative, intracellular bacteria transmitted by hematophagous insects. Several species cause zoonotic diseases such as cat-scratch disease. Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae are the main species found in Thailand, however, there have been few studies on Bartonella spp. In addition, the hematological evaluation of Bartonella-infected animals is limited in Thailand. The aims of this study were prevalence investigation and hematological evaluation of Bartonella-infected dogs and cats residing in Bangkok, Thailand. (2) Methods: In total, 295 dogs and 513 cats were molecularly evaluated to detect Bartonella spp. using PCR with primers targeting the partial gltA, rpoB, ftsZ, ribC, and groEL genes. In total, 651 domestic animals were evaluated for hematological parameters compared between Bartonella-positive and Bartonella-negative animals. (3) Results: Overall, the prevalence of Bartonella spp. was 1.61% which was found only in free-ranging cats (2.83%). Bartonella henselae and B. clarridgeiae were confirmed from a concatenated phylogenetic tree of partial gltA and ribC genes, with 100% bootstrapping replication. For other housekeeping gene sequences, mixed infection was expected from the amplicons of rpoB, ftsZ, and groEL. Importantly, the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) was significantly increased in Bartonella-positive cats. (4) Conclusions: We suggest that B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae are important species and are still circulating in domestic animals, especially cats. The evaluation of blood parameters, especially a raised MCV, should be of concern in Bartonella infection in asymptomatic cats. Additionally, the knowledge of how to prevent Bartonella-related diseases should be promoted with people in at-risk situations.
Highlights
Bartonella spp. are Gram-negative, facultative, fastidious intracellular bacteria causing various pathological changes and bacteremia in their natural and accidental hosts
808 blood samples were collected from domestic cats (n = 513) and dogs (n = 295) residing in Bangkok, Thailand, consisting of 634 free-ranging and 174 owned animals
The current study found two species of Bartonella (B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae) which was similar with another study in Thailand that reported that B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae as the main species in this region [17]
Summary
Bartonella spp. are Gram-negative, facultative, fastidious intracellular bacteria causing various pathological changes and bacteremia in their natural and accidental hosts. Several bloodsucking arthropods have been confirmed as vectors transmitting these pathogens including cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) [1], human fleas (Pulex irritans) [2], human lice (Pediculus humanus) [3], and sandflies (Luztomyia verrucarum) [4]. Some tick species are suggested as possible vectors of Bartonella spp. such as the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) [5] and the Ixodid tick Human bartonelloses are caused by B. henselae (cat-scratch disease), B. bacilliformis (Carrion’s disease and verruga peruana), and B. quintana (trench fever) [8]. Humans play a role as accidental hosts being infected by Bartonella spp. from various animal hosts, both companion and wild animals [9]. Bartonellosis mainly affects immunocompromised patients, only regional lymphadenopathy occurs in immunocompetent people [10]
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