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Isolation of Bartonella henselae from domestic cats in Japan
S Maruyama1, S Nogami, I Inoue
1Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nihon University, Kanagawa, Japan.
Insights
Domestic cats in Japan were found to harbor Bartonella henselae in their blood. This study confirms cats serve as a significant reservoir for this bacterium, impacting feline and potentially human health.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Bartonella henselae is an important zoonotic pathogen.
- Understanding the reservoir hosts is crucial for controlling Bartonella infections.
Observation:
- Bartonella henselae was isolated from the blood of 9.1% of domestic cats surveyed in Japan between January and March 1995.
- Isolation involved lysis-centrifugation blood culture followed by incubation on rabbit-blood agar.
- Microscopic examination revealed Gram-negative, pleomorphic rods.
Findings:
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification using primers specific for the rickettsial citrate synthase gene was performed on extracted DNA.
- Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (TaqI and HhaI digestion) confirmed the isolates as Bartonella henselae.
- This study provides the first evidence of Bartonella henselae in the blood of cats in Japan.
Implications:
- Domestic cats in Japan are confirmed carriers of Bartonella henselae.
- Cats play a significant role as reservoirs for Bartonella henselae.
- Findings have implications for understanding Bartonella transmission dynamics and public health strategies.
Abstract:
During the period from January to March 1995, the authors first isolated Bartonella henselae from the blood of three (9.1%) of 33 domestic cats in Japan. The three cats were a 1.5-year male pet cat-old with urinary retention, and 6-year-old female pound and age-unknown female pet cats with no abnormalities. The blood was taken in a lysis-centrifugation tube (Wampole Isolator tube) and cultured on 5% rabbit-blood heart infusion agar plates at 35 degrees C in the 5% CO2 atmosphere. Visible tiny rough colonies developed 14 days after incubation. The isolates showed Gram-negative and pleomorphic rods in microscopic observation. The DNA extracted from the isolates was amplified by PCR using two primers, which were specific for the rikettsial citrate synthase gene. The isolates were identified as B. henselae from the patterns of digestion with TaqI and HhaI of the amplified gene. It was confirmed that cats in Japan harbored B. henselae in their blood, and that cats play a significant role as the reservoir of the organism.