We report the first feline case of Bartonella henselae endocarditis. Despite negative blood cultures, the cat had high Bartonella antibody titers and B. henselae type I DNA was detected in the damaged aortic valve. Microscopic examination of the valve revealed endocarditis with small silver positive coccoid structures in endothelial cells.

Bartonella henselae is the main causative agent of cat scratch disease. In this report, we present the draft genome sequences of 12 strains of Bartonella henselae originating from the United States, Denmark, and France. These strains were isolated from cats and belonged to either 16S rRNA genotype I or 16S rRNA genotype II.

Whole blood and serum from 93 cats (44 pets and 49 shelter/stray cats) from Denmark were tested for the presence of feline Bartonella species by culture and for the presence of Bartonella antibodies by serology. Bartonella henselae was isolated from 21 (22.6%) cats. Bacteremia prevalence was not statistically different between shelter/stray cats (13/49, 26.5%) and pet cats (8/44, 18.2%), but va...

Bartonella spp. bacteria are significant human pathogens and the agents of bacterial zoonosis acquired from an animal companion. The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of two of the most common Bartonella species B. henselae and B. quintana in various human populations. The studied groups included: alcoholics, intravenous drug users, veterinarians, cats' owners. Blood samples ...

Bartonella henselae is known to cause central nervous system (CNS) disease in humans, and neurological signs have been observed in experimentally infected cats. However, the pathogenesis of CNS disease remains unclear. This study was undertaken to determine whether B. henselae infects feline fetal brain cells in vitro. Microglial-cell- and astrocyte-enriched cultures were inoculated with B. hen...

Immune responses of the immunocompetent host to Bartonella henselae infection were investigated in the murine infection model using C57BL/6 mice. Following intraperitoneal infection with human-derived B. henselae strain Berlin-1, viable bacteria could be recovered from livers and spleens during the first week postinfection, while Bartonella DNA remained detectable by PCR in the liver for up to ...

Bartonella are arthropod-borne, fastidious, Gram-negative, and aerobic bacilli distributed by fleas, lice, sand flies, and, possibly, ticks. The zoonotic Bartonella species, Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, which are the causes of cat scratch disease and endocarditis in humans, have been reported from cats, cat fleas, and humans in Australia. However, to date, there has been no ...

1. Rolain JM, Franc M, Davoust B, Raoult D. Molecular detection of Bartonella quintana, B. koehlerae, B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae, Rickettsia felis, and Wolbachia pipientis in cat fleas, France. Emerg Infect Dis 2003;9:338–42. 2. Roux V, Raoult D. Interand intraspecies identification of Bartonella (Rochalimaea) species. J Clin Microbiol 1995;33:1573–9. 3. Fournier PE, Roux V, Raoult D. Phyloge...

A 4-year-old girl with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis had Bartonella infection diagnosed serologically. This case suggested that Bartonella (most probably Bartonella henselae) infection may in part be responsible for the development of systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND Bartonella species are bacterial blood parasites of animals capable of causing disease in both animals and man. Cat-Scratch Disease (CSD) in humans is caused mainly by Bartonella henselae and is acquired from the cat, which serves as a reservoir for the bacteria. A second species, B. clarridgeiae is also implicated in the disease. Diagnosis of Bartonellosis by culture requires a week...