Subject: Bartonella henselae, zoonosis, public health, detection
Year: 2023
Type: Article
Title: First report of Bartonella henselae infection in a cat in North Macedonia
Author: Shikoska, Ivana
Author: Dјadјovski, Igor
Author: Krstevski, Kiril
Author: Hristovska, Zagorka Popova
Author: Janevski, Aleksandar
Author: Rashikj, LJubica
Author: Cvetkovikj, Aleksandar
Author: Cvetkovikj, Iskra
Abstract: The genus
Bartonella are fastidious, Gram-negative intracellular vector-borne bacteria with zoonotic potential. Cats have a crucial epidemiological role in the transmission of
Bartonella henselae, the primary causal agent of cat-scratch disease in humans. Here we describe the first report of
B. henselae infection in a cat in North Macedonia after a suspected
Bartonella infection in a 7-year-old boy. A combination of cultural and molecular methods for detecting
B. henselae in the asymptomatic cat was used. A blood sample was cultured on a blood agar plate, where colonies became visible after nine days of incubation. The DNA of a single colony was extracted, and the isolate was confirmed as
B. henselae by sequencing the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene and performing a
Bartonella - specific PCR. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrated 100% similarity with
B. henselae sequences, clustering on a single branch and establishing a distinct group. This finding indicates that
B. henselae infection in cats circulates in North Macedonia and may affect feline and human health.
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Relation: Macedonian Veterinary Review
Identifier: oai:repository.ukim.mk:20.500.12188/28075
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12188/28075Identifier: 10.2478/macvetrev-2023-0028
Identifier: https://www.sciendo.com/pdf/10.2478/macvetrev-2023-0028Identifier: 0
Identifier: 0
