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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., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recently, a potential association was identified between Bartonella exposure and arthritides in mammalian species other than cats., Hypothesis/objectives: We hypothesized that Bartonella exposure is associated with more severe degenerative joint disease (DJD) and a greater burden of DJD-associated pain in client-owned cats., Animals: Ninety-four client-owned cats (6 months to 20 years old), ranging from clinically unaffected to severely lame because of DJD., Methods: Using physical examination and radiography, pain and radiographic scores were assigned to each part of the bony skeleton. Sera were tested for Bartonella henselae, B. koehlerae, and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (genotypes I, II, and III) antibodies using immunofluorescence antibody assays. Variables were categorized and logistic regression used to explore associations., Results: Seropositivity to Bartonella was identified in 33 (35.1%) cats. After multivariate analysis controlling for age, total DJD score (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.26-0.97; P = .042), appendicular pain score (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.17-0.65; P = .0011), and total pain score (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.72; P = .0045) were significantly inversely associated with Bartonella seroreactivity status, indicating that cats with higher DJD and pain scores were less likely to be Bartonella seropositive., Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Based upon this preliminary study, Bartonella spp. seropositivity was associated with decreased severity of DJD and decreased DJD-associated pain in cats. Additional studies are needed to verify these findings, and if verified, to explore potential mechanisms., (Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

Background: Frequent exposure of Grenadian dogs to Rhipicephalus sanguineus results in Anaplasma platys, and Ehrlichia canis seroreactivity. During elective surgeries, substantial intraoperative hemorrhage occurs in some seroreactive dogs., Objectives: To assess hemostatic parameters and bleeding tendencies as well as prevalence of PCR positivity in apparently healthy A. platys and E. canis seroreactive and seronegative free-roaming dogs from Grenada., Animals: Forty-seven elective surgery dogs allocated to 4 groups: Seronegative control (n = 12), A. platys (n = 10), E. canis (n = 14) and A. platys, and E. canis (n = 11) seroreactive., Methods: Preoperatively, hemostasis was assessed by platelet count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and buccal mucosal bleeding time. Intra- and postoperative bleeding scores were subjectively assigned. Blood, spleen, bone marrow, and lymph node aspirates were tested by PCR., Results: Bleeding scores in dogs coseroreactive for A. platys and E. canis were higher (P = .015) than those of seronegative dogs. A. platys DNA was amplified from 7/21 (33%) A. platys seroreactive dogs and from 1 E. canis seroreactive dog; E. canis DNA was amplified from 21/25 (84%) E. canis seroreactive dogs. E. canis DNA was amplified most often from blood, whereas A. platys DNA was amplified most often from bone marrow., Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Apparently healthy, free-roaming dogs coseropositive for A. platys and E. canis may have increased intraoperative bleeding tendencies despite normal hemostatic parameters. Future investigations should explore the potential for vascular injury as a cause for bleeding in these dogs. Improved tick control is needed for dogs in Grenada., (Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

OBJECTIVE--To evaluate the practices and perceptions of veterinarians in North Carolina regarding borreliosis in dogs in various geographic regions of the state. DESIGN--Cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE--Data from 208 completed surveys. PROCEDURES--Surveys were distributed to veterinary clinics throughout North Carolina. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize perceptions pertaining to borreliosis among dogs in North Carolina. RESULts--A significantly higher proportion of responding veterinarians believed that borreliosis was endemic in the coastal (67.2%) and Piedmont (60.9%) areas of North Carolina, compared with more western regions (37.5%). The 3 variables found to be significantly different between the northern and southern regions of the state were the estimated number of borreliosis cases diagnosed by each responding veterinary clinic during the past year, the perception of borreliosis endemicity, and the perceptions related to the likelihood of a dog acquiring borreliosis in the state. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE--Veterinarians' perception of the risk of borreliosis in North Carolina was consistent with recent scientific reports pertaining to geographic expansion of borreliosis in the state. As knowledge of the epidemiological features of borreliosis in North Carolina continues to evolve, veterinarians should promote routine screening of dogs for Borrelia burgdorferi exposure as a simple, inexpensive form of surveillance that can be used to better educate their clients on the threat of transmission of borreliosis in this transitional geographic region.

We compared clinicopathologic findings in dogs with Bartonella infection to Bartonella spp. negative dogs suspected of a vector-borne disease. Cases (n=47) and controls (n=93) were selected on the basis of positive or negative enrichment culture PCR results, respectively. Signalment, clinicopathologic findings and treatments were extracted from medical records. DNA sequencing identified Bartonella henselae (n=28, 59.6%), Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (n=20, 42.6%), Bartonella koehlerae (n=3, 6.4%), Bartonella volans-like (n=3, 6.4%) and Bartonella bovis (n=1, 2.1%). There were no significant differences in age, breed, size, sex or neuter status between cases and controls. Dogs infected with Bartonella sp. often had a history of weight loss [OR=2.82; 95% CI: 1.08-7.56] and were hypoglobulinemic [OR=4.26; 95% CI: 1.31-14.41]. With the exception of weight loss and hypoglobulinemia, clinicopathologic abnormalities in Bartonella-infected dogs in this study were similar to dogs suspected of other vector-borne infections., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Patients with infection from bacteremic Bartonella spp., tested using Bartonella Alphaproteobacteria growth medium (BAPGM), were retrospectively categorized into one of two groups that included those whose blood was collected once (group 1; n = 55) or three times (group 2; n = 36) within a 1-week period. Overall, 19 patients (20.8%) were PCR positive for one or more Bartonella spp. using the BAPGM platform. Seven patients (12.7%) in group 1 tested positive, and 12 patients (33.3%) in group 2 tested positive. Detection was improved when the patients were tested three times within a 1-week period (odds ratio, 3.4 [95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 9.8]; P = 0.02). Obtaining three sequential blood samples during a 1-week period should be considered a diagnostic approach when bartonellosis is suspected.

Bartonella spp. infection has been reported in association with an expanding spectrum of symptoms and lesions. Among 296 patients examined by a rheumatologist, prevalence of antibodies against Bartonella henselae, B. koehlerae, or B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (185 [62%]) and Bartonella spp. bacteremia (122 [41.1%]) was high. Conditions diagnosed before referral included Lyme disease (46.6%), arthralgia/arthritis (20.6%), chronic fatigue (19.6%), and fibromyalgia (6.1%). B. henselae bacteremia was significantly associated with prior referral to a neurologist, most often for blurred vision, subcortical neurologic deficits, or numbness in the extremities, whereas B. koehlerae bacteremia was associated with examination by an infectious disease physician. This cross-sectional study cannot establish a causal link between Bartonella spp. infection and the high frequency of neurologic symptoms, myalgia, joint pain, or progressive arthropathy in this population; however, the contribution of Bartonella spp. infection, if any, to these symptoms should be systematically investigated.

Serum and blood samples from 192 patients, who reported animal exposure (100.0%) and recent animal bites or scratches (88.0%), were screened for antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence assays and for bacteremia using the BAPGM (Bartonella alpha Proteobacteria growth medium) platform. Predominant symptoms included fatigue (79.2%), sleeplessness (64.1%), joint pain (64.1%), and muscle pain (63.0%). Bartonella spp. seroreactivity or bacteremia was documented in 49.5% (n = 95) and 23.9% (n = 46) of the patients, respectively; however, indirect immunofluorescence antibodies were not detected in 30.4% (n = 14) of bacteremic patients. Regarding components of the BAPGM platform, Bartonella DNA was amplified from 7.5% of blood (n = 21), 8.7% of serum (n = 25), and 10.3% of enrichment culture samples (n = 29). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on only extracted blood would not have detected Bartonella infection in 34.7% (16/46) of bacteremic patients. Serology, in conjunction with blood, serum, and BAPGM enrichment culture PCR, facilitates the diagnosis of Bartonella spp. bacteremia in immunocompetent patients., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)