Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Endocarditis from new Bartonella infection in a Labrador dog
By Breitschwerdt, E B et al.·Published in Journal of clinical microbiology·1995·Department of Companion Animal and Special Species Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Endocarditis in a dog due to infection with a novel Bartonella subspecies.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old spayed female Labrador retriever was diagnosed with endocarditis, an infection of the heart valves, after showing signs of illness. Despite treatment with antibiotics and steroids for previous infections, her condition worsened, and blood tests did not reveal any bacteria. However, a special blood culture technique identified a new type of Bartonella bacteria as the cause of her heart problems. Unfortunately, despite initial improvement, the owner chose to euthanize the dog 17 days later, and a necropsy confirmed the severe heart infection.
People also search for: dog heart infection symptoms · Labrador endocarditis treatment · Bartonella in dogs
Abstract
Vegetative valvular endocarditis involving the aortic and, to a lesser extent, mitral valves was diagnosed echocardiographically in a 3-year-old spayed female Labrador retriever. Historically, the dog had been treated with tetracycline hydrochloride and prednisolone for positive seroreactivity to Ehrlichia canis and antinuclear antigens. Although three aerobic and anaerobic blood cultures failed to grow bacteria, blood cultured simultaneously by the lysis centrifugation technique grew a fastidious, gram-negative organism. Despite an initial therapeutic response, the owner elected euthanasia 17 days later. Necropsy confirmed aortic and mitral valvular endocarditis. Bacteria phenotypically similar to Bartonella species were visualized in the heart valve by light and electron microscopy, and Bartonella DNA from a frozen heart valve was amplified by PCR. Subsequent phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the isolate, including biochemical testing, cellular fatty acid analysis, DNA hybridization, and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that this organism, which can induce endocarditis in dogs, is a novel Bartonella subspecies containing an insertion sequence unique among currently recognized Bartonella species. The name Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkoffii subsp. nov. will be proposed for this organism.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7699033/