Bartonella infections in cats and dogs including zoonotic aspects

Abstract

Bartonellosis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution that can infect humans and a large number of mammals including small companion animals (cats and dogs). In recent years, an increasing number of studies from around the world have reported Bartonella infections, although publications have predominantly focused on the North American perspective. Currently, clinico-pathological data from Europe are more limited, suggesting that bartonellosis may be an infrequent or underdiagnosed infectious disease in cats and dogs. Research is needed to confirm or exclude Bartonella infection as a cause of a spectrum of feline and canine diseases. Bartonella spp. can cause acute or chronic infections in cats, dogs and humans. On a comparative medical basis, different clinical manifestations, such as periods of intermittent fever, granulomatous inflammation involving the heart, liver, lymph nodes and other tissues, endocarditis, bacillary angiomatosis, peliosis hepatis, uveitis and vasoproliferative tumors have been reported in cats, dogs and humans. The purpose of this review is to provide an update and European perspective on Bartonella infections in cats and dogs, including clinical, diagnostic, epidemiological, pathological, treatment and zoonotic aspects.

Keywords: Bartonella; Cat; Dog; Europe; Zoonosis.

Fig. 1

Geographical distribution maps depicting Bartonella serological, molecular and culture prevalences in cats from European countries. Information provided based on clinico-epidemiological studies reported in Table 2. Created with mapchart.net

Fig. 2

Geographical distribution maps depicting Bartonella serological and molecular prevalences in dogs from European countries as well as documented case reports. Information provided based on clinico-epidemiological studies reported in Table 3. Created with mapchart.net