Molecular detection of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella koehlerae from aortic valves of Boxer dogs with infective endocarditis

Dan G. Ohad, Danny Morick, Boaz Avidor, Shimon Harrus*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cardiac aortic valves from five dogs that died from acquired infective endocarditis were retrospectively molecularly screened for Bartonella infection. Identification was carried out using PCR targeting four gene fragments (rpoB, ribC, 16S rRNA and gltA), and the 16S-23S intergenic spacer (ITS). Bartonella henselae DNA was detected in aortic valve tissue from one Boxer dog with moderate subaortic stenosis (SAS). Bartonella koehlerae DNA was detected from the aortic valve of another Boxer dog with severe SAS. The latter dog was both a littermate and a housemate of the dog with the B. henselae infection. Other animals residing at the same household were also screened for Bartonella infection. B. henselae was molecularly detected in a spleen aspirate from the dogs' mother, and isolated and molecularly characterized from another housemate cat. This is the first molecular identification of B. henselae and B. koehlerae, two zoonotic Bartonella species, from valves of dogs with canine infective endocarditis, suggesting their role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Moreover, this is the first report describing the detection of B. koehlerae from dogs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)182-185
Number of pages4
JournalVeterinary Microbiology
Volume141
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - 24 Feb 2010

Keywords

  • Bartonella henselae
  • Bartonella koehlerae
  • Canine
  • Endocarditis
  • Sub-aortic stenosis

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