No abstract available.
Bartonella Infections* ; Bartonella* ; Retinal Vessels* ; Retinaldehyde*

In this study, the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii and Bartonella (B.) henselae infection among stray cats in Daejeon City, Korea was surveyed. A total of seven samples were positive (7/118, 5.93%) for T. gondii including three samples from female cats (3/58, 5.2%) and four samples from male cats (4/60, 6.7%). There was no significant difference between the genders. A total 22 samples (22/118, 18.6%) were positive for B. henselae; nine were from females and 13 were from males. There was no significant difference between genders. Nineteen samples had a titer of 1 : 50, two samples had a titer of 1 : 100, and one sample had a titer of 1 : 200. The present study is the first to use serological tests to analyze B. henselae prevalence among stray cats in Korea.
Animals ; Bartonella henselae ; Bartonella* ; Cats* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Seroepidemiologic Studies* ; Serologic Tests ; Toxoplasma*

OBJECTIVETo study the infection status of Bartonella spp. in rodents in western part of Yunnan province.

METHODSBlood samples were collected from four species of rodents captured in four counties in western Yunnan in 2004. Bartomella was isolated through being cultured in brain and heart infusion agar media containing 5% rabbit blood. Suspective Bartomella strains isolates were confirmed by amplification of 379 bp of citrate synthase (gltA) gene with specific primer by polymerase chin reaction (PCR).

RESULTSFifty-four strains of Bartomella isolates were obtained from 397 samples including four rodent species captured in the fields with an overall isolation-rate of 13.6% (54/397). The rates of isolation among different species were: 22.0% (22/100) in Rattus nitidus, 14.8% (31/210) in Rattus flavipectus and 1.2%(1/87) in Rattus norvegicus while in R. t. yunnanensis it was negative.

CONCLUSIONThese findings demonstrated that the local rodents in western Yunnan were widely infected by Bartomella spp. It is indispensable to study the vector and the route of transmission to discover the relations between Bartomella and human diseases.

Animals ; Bartonella ; isolation & purification ; physiology ; Bartonella Infections ; transmission ; veterinary ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Rabbits ; Rats ; Rodentia ; microbiology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cat-scratch disease (CSD), caused by Bartonella henselae is one of the most common zoonosis. However, only several cases of B. henselae infection have been reported in Korea. This study investigated the seroprevalence of B. henselae in healthy adults and related risk factors. METHODS: Serum samples from 300 healthy participants were analyzed using an immunoglobulin G immunof luorescence assay (IFA) for B. henselae isolated in Korea. Surveys on the risk factors for B. henselae infection were conducted simultaneously. RESULTS: Of the participants, 47.7% and 15.0% raised dogs and cats, respectively. The overall seroprevalence of B. henselae was 15.0% (IFA titer ≥ 1:64). Participants who had raised cats showed 22.2% seropositivity against B. henselae, and those with no experience with cats showed 13.7% seroprevalence (p = 0.17). Participants who had cats as pets or been scratched by cats, showed 9.8% seropositivity against B. henselae (IFA titer ≥ 1:256). However, those who had not raised or been scratched by a cat showed 2.0% seropositivity (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, the seroprevalence of B. henselae is higher than expected, suggesting that Bartonella infection due to B. henselae is not uncommon. Cats are proposed to play a more important role than dogs in transmission of CSD.
Adult* ; Animals ; Bartonella henselae* ; Bartonella Infections ; Bartonella* ; Cat-Scratch Disease ; Cats ; Dogs ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea* ; Risk Factors ; Seroepidemiologic Studies*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cat-scratch disease (CSD), caused by Bartonella henselae is one of the most common zoonosis. However, only several cases of B. henselae infection have been reported in Korea. This study investigated the seroprevalence of B. henselae in healthy adults and related risk factors. METHODS: Serum samples from 300 healthy participants were analyzed using an immunoglobulin G immunof luorescence assay (IFA) for B. henselae isolated in Korea. Surveys on the risk factors for B. henselae infection were conducted simultaneously. RESULTS: Of the participants, 47.7% and 15.0% raised dogs and cats, respectively. The overall seroprevalence of B. henselae was 15.0% (IFA titer ≥ 1:64). Participants who had raised cats showed 22.2% seropositivity against B. henselae, and those with no experience with cats showed 13.7% seroprevalence (p = 0.17). Participants who had cats as pets or been scratched by cats, showed 9.8% seropositivity against B. henselae (IFA titer ≥ 1:256). However, those who had not raised or been scratched by a cat showed 2.0% seropositivity (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, the seroprevalence of B. henselae is higher than expected, suggesting that Bartonella infection due to B. henselae is not uncommon. Cats are proposed to play a more important role than dogs in transmission of CSD.
Adult* ; Animals ; Bartonella henselae* ; Bartonella Infections ; Bartonella* ; Cat-Scratch Disease ; Cats ; Dogs ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea* ; Risk Factors ; Seroepidemiologic Studies*

Cat-scratch disease is a self-limited zoonotic disease characterized by regional lymphadenopathy and fever. It is caused by Bartonella henselae, less frequently by B. clarridgeiae, and is transmitted to humans by scratches or bites from cats and dogs. Up to now, only a handful of cases have been reported in Korea. However, the number of pet cats and dogs is increasing in Korea and thus more frequent human contact with cats and dogs is expected. We present a case of cat-scratch disease diagnosed by indirect immunofluorescence assay and analysis of polymerase chain reaction results, and twenty a literature review of Bartonella infections in humans and animals in Korea.
Animals ; Bartonella ; Bartonella henselae ; Bartonella Infections ; Bites and Stings ; Cat-Scratch Disease ; Cats ; Dogs ; Fever ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphadenitis ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

In this study, we examine prevalences of three infectious pathogens with different transmission modes (Bartonella henselae, hemoplasma, and Toxoplasma gondii) in feral cats from urban and rural habitats. Infection status of the three pathogens in blood samples (n = 117) was determined through molecular or serological diagnostic methods. Overall prevalence of hemoplasma, Toxoplasma gondii, and Bartonella henselae was 47.9%, 50%, and 35.7%, respectively. Comparing the two habitats, only seroprevalence of Bartonella henselae was significantly higher in urban cats. Based on the results, we discuss how pathogens with distinct transmission modes may show different prevalence between urban and rural habitat types.
Animals ; Bartonella henselae ; Cats* ; Ecosystem ; Korea* ; Prevalence ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Toxoplasma

To confirm that Bartonella and Wolbachia were carried by sheep keds (Melophagus ovinus) in southern Xinjiang of China, 17 M. ovinus samples, which were collected in Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, were randomly selected. In this study, the Bartonella gltA and Wolbachia 16S rRNA gene were amplified through conventional PCR and the sequence of those amplified products, were analyzed. The results demonstrated that Bartonella was carried by all of the 17 sheep keds and Wolbachia was carried by 15 out of them. Bartonella was identified as B. melophagi. Three strains of Wolbachia were supergroup F and 1 strain has not been confirmed yet. It is the first report about Wolbachia supergroup F was found in sheep keds and provided the molecular evidence that B. melophagi and Wolbachia supergroup F were carried by sheep keds in Aksu Prefecture of southern Xinjiang, China. The 2 pathogens were found in sheep keds around Taklimakan Desert for the first time.
Bartonella ; China ; Genes, rRNA ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sheep ; Wolbachia

The Alataw Pass, near the Ebinur Lake Wetland (northwest of China) and Taldykorgan (east of Kazakhstan), is a natural habitat for wild rodents. To date, little has been done on the surveillance of Bartonella spp. and Wolbachia spp. from fleas in the region. Here we molecularly detected Bartonella spp. and Wolbachia spp. in wild rodent fleas during January and October of 2016 along the Alataw Pass-Kazakhstan border. A total of 1,706 fleas belonging to 10 species were collected from 6 rodent species. Among the 10 flea species, 4 were found to be positive for Wolbachia, and 5 flea species were positive for Bartonella. Molecular analysis indicated that i) B. rochalimae was firstly identified in Xenopsylla gerbilli minax and X. conforms conforms, ii) B. grahamii was firstly identified in X. gerbilli minax, and iii) B. elizabethae was firstly detected in Coptopsylla lamellifer ardua, Paradoxopsyllus repandus, and Nosopsyllus laeviceps laeviceps. Additionally, 3 Wolbachia endosymbionts were firstly found in X. gerbilli minax, X. conforms conforms, P. repandus, and N. laeviceps laeviceps. BLASTn analysis indicated 3 Bartonella species showed genotypic variation. Phylogenetic analysis revealed 3 Wolbachia endosymbionts were clustered into the non-Siphonaptera Wolbachia group. These findings extend our knowledge of the geographical distribution and carriers of B. rochalimae, B. grahamii, B. elizabethae, and Wolbachia spp. In the future, there is a need for China-Kazakhstan cooperation to strengthen the surveillance of flea-borne pathogens in wildlife.
Bartonella ; Ecosystem ; Lakes ; Rodentia ; Siphonaptera ; Wetlands ; Wolbachia ; Xenopsylla

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of Bartonella henselae DNA, which is known as an etiologic agent of lymphadenitis, in fleas from dogs. METHODS: The Bartonella henselae infection was investigated in 42 fleas from 22 dogs in Korea. By using seminested PCR targeting pap31 gene, B. henselae DNA was amplified from fleas. RESULTS: B. henselae DNA was detected in seven fleas (7 of 42 fleas, 16.7 percent) from four dogs (4 of 22 dogs, 18.2 percent). To confirm these findings, we performed sequencing and identified the seven PCR products. Sequence analysis revealed that six sequences belonged to Huston-1 genogroup and one sequence to Marseille genogroup. CONCLUSION: These results may suggest that dogs could be an important source of B. henselae infection in children in Korea. This is the first report about the detection of B. henselae in fleas from dogs in Korea.
Animals ; Bartonella henselae* ; Bartonella* ; Child ; DNA* ; Dogs* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Korea* ; Lymphadenitis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis ; Siphonaptera*