Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Better Bartonella detection in dog blood using pre-enrichment culture
By Duncan, Ashlee W et al.·Published in Journal of microbiological methods·2007·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A combined approach for the enhanced detection and isolation of Bartonella species in dog blood samples: pre-enrichment liquid culture followed by PCR and subculture onto agar plates.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a new method for detecting Bartonella infections in dogs' blood is much more effective than older techniques. Dogs with Bartonella may show symptoms like fever or lethargy, but the infection can be hard to confirm. Researchers used a combination of a special liquid culture and DNA testing (PCR) to improve detection rates significantly. This new approach not only identified single infections but also cases where dogs had multiple Bartonella species. The findings suggest that this method could help veterinarians diagnose bartonellosis more accurately in dogs.
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Abstract
Historically, direct plating, lysis centrifugation, or freeze-thaw approaches have proven to be highly insensitive methods for confirming Bartonella species infection in dogs. A prospective study was designed to compare diagnostic methods for the detection of Bartonella using samples submitted to the Vector-Borne Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at North Carolina State University. Methods included indirect immunofluorescence assay, PCR, direct inoculation of a blood agar plate (trypticase soy agar with 5% rabbit blood), and inoculation into a novel pre-enrichment liquid medium, Bartonella/alpha-Proteobacteria growth medium (BAPGM). Sequential research efforts resulted in the development of a combinational approach consisting of pre-enrichment culture of Bartonella species in BAPGM, sub-inoculation of the liquid culture onto agar plates, followed by DNA amplification using PCR. The multi-faceted approach resulted in substantial improvement in the microbiological detection and isolation of Bartonella when compared to direct inoculation of a blood agar plate. Importantly, this approach facilitated the detection and subsequent isolation of both single and co-infections with two Bartonella species in the blood of naturally infected dogs. The use of a combinational approach of pre-enrichment culture and PCR may assist in the diagnostic confirmation of bartonellosis in dogs and other animals.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17346836/