Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How common Bartonella infection is in shelter cats and their fleas
By Raimundo, Juliana Macedo et al.·Published in Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria·2022·Laborató, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of Bartonella species in shelter cats and their ectoparasites in southeastern Brazil.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of shelter cats in southeastern Brazil showed a high rate of infection with Bartonella bacteria, which can be spread to humans through scratches or bites. Nearly half of the cats tested had Bartonella DNA in their blood, and many of the fleas and lice found on them also carried the bacteria. Cats with infested fleas were about twice as likely to be infected. This study emphasizes the need for effective flea and lice control in shelters to protect both cats and people from potential infections.
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Abstract
Feline Bartonella can be transmitted to humans through cat scratches or bites, and between cats, by the flea Ctenocephalides felis. The study was carried out in order to investigate the occurrence of Bartonella DNA in cats living in shelters and their ectoparasites and the relationship between the infection status of cats and ectoparasites they host. Bartonella DNA was detected in 47.8% of the cat blood samples, 18.3% of C. felis fleas, 13.3% of flea egg pools and 12.5% of lice pools. B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae DNA were detected in cat fleas, while B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae and B. koehlerae were found in blood samples from bacteremic cats. Cats infested by positive ectoparasites showed approximately twice the odds of being infected. Our results indicate that shelter cats have high prevalence of Bartonella species that are known to be human pathogens. This highlights the importance of controlling infestations by ectoparasites to avoid cat and human infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35195184/