Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bartonella infection rates in shelter kittens and young adult cats
By Fleischman, Drew A et al.·Published in Applied and environmental microbiology·2015·Department of Population Health and Reproduction, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bartonella Infection among Cats Adopted from a San Francisco Shelter, Revisited.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of kittens and young adult cats from a San Francisco shelter were tested for a bacterial infection called Bartonella, which can be a health risk for both cats and their new owners. Out of 351 cats tested, about one-third were found to have the infection, with young adults being more likely to test positive than kittens. The study showed that kittens had a higher bacterial load compared to young adults, and the infection rates were higher in the fall and winter months. This information is important for potential adopters to be aware of, as it highlights the need for testing and monitoring for Bartonella in shelter cats.
People also search for: cat Bartonella infection symptoms · kitten health risks · shelter cat adoption precautions
Abstract
Bartonella infection among cats from shelters can pose a health risk to adopters. Bartonella henselae is the most common species, with B. clarridgeiae and B. koehlerae being less common. The lower rates of infection by the latter species may reflect their rarity or an inefficiency of culture techniques. To assess the incidence of infection, blood cultures, serology, and PCR testing were performed on 193 kittens (6 to 17 weeks old) and 158 young adult cats (5 to 12 months old) from a modern regional shelter. Classical B. henselae culture medium was compared to a medium supplemented with insect cell growth factors. Bartonella colonies were isolated from 115 (32.8%) animals, including 50 (25.9%) kittens and 65 (41.1%) young adults. Therefore, young adults were twice as likely to be culture positive as kittens. Enhanced culture methods did not improve either the isolation rate or species profile. B. henselae was isolated from 40 kittens and 55 young adults, while B. clarridgeiae was cultured from 10 animals in each group. B. koehlerae was detected in one young adult by PCR only. B. henselae genotype II was more commonly isolated from young adults, and genotype I was more frequently isolated from kittens. Kittens were 4.7 times more likely to have a very high bacterial load than young adults. A significantly higher incidence of bacteremia in the fall and winter than in the spring and summer was observed. Bartonella antibodies were detected in 10% (19/193) of kittens and 46.2% (73/158) of young adults, with culture-positive kittens being 9.4 times more likely to be seronegative than young adults.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26162871/