Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bartonella bacteria found in dog skin tumors called histiocytomas
By Pultorak, E L et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2015·North Carolina State University, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prevalence of Bartonella spp. in Canine Cutaneous Histiocytoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with skin tumors called cutaneous histiocytomas (CCH) was tested for the presence of Bartonella bacteria, which can sometimes be linked to skin issues. The researchers found that while Bartonella henselae was present in some of the CCH tissues, it was not significantly more common than in healthy skin. This suggests that Bartonella is unlikely to be a cause of these benign tumors. Overall, the study indicates that pet owners shouldn't worry about Bartonella being a factor in their dog's CCH.
People also search for: dog skin tumor treatment · cutaneous histiocytoma in dogs · Bartonella in dogs symptoms
Abstract
Canine cutaneous histiocytoma (CCH) is a common, benign neoplastic proliferation of histiocytes of Langerhans cell origin that often ulcerate, become secondarily infected and regress spontaneously. Bartonella is a fastidious genus of facultative intracellular pathogens that can be transmitted through arthropod bites and epidermal animal scratches and has been identified previously in the cytoplasm of histiocytes within granulomatous lesions and in skin biopsy samples of inflammatory pustules and papules. Based on the established inflammatory and oncogenic properties of Bartonella, we hypothesized that Bartonella spp. DNA could be amplified from CCH more often than from non-lesional skin and bacteria could be localized within skin tumours using indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). Paraffin wax-embedded surgical biopsy samples from dogs with CCH and non-neoplastic skin adjacent to osteosarcomas (control group selected due to wide surgical margins) were retrieved from the archive of the pathology service of North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. DNA was extracted and regions of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the pap31 and gltA genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using Bartonella-specific primers. IIF was performed using a primary Bartonella henselae monoclonal antibody to localize B. henselae in tissues of PCR-positive dogs. Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii was amplified from 1/17 (5.8%) control tissues and B. henselae was amplified from 4/29 (13.8%) CCH tissues. The prevalence of B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (P = 0.37) or B. henselae (P = 0.28) did not vary statistically between study groups. B. henselae could be visualized in 2/4 (50.0%) CCH tissues using IIF. Based on this study, Bartonella spp. are unlikely to cause CCH.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25980841/