title: Relapsing bacteremia after blood transmission of Bartonella henselae to cats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine persistence of bacteremia, pathogenicity, and immunoglobulin kinetics after blood transmission of Bartonella henselae in cats.
  
  
  METHODS
  18 specific-pathogen-free (SPF) cats (16 weeks old) received blood or urine from 4 adult cats (2 SPF, 2 naturally infected with B henselae).
  
  
  METHODS
  SPF cats were inoculated with blood IV (n = 4), blood IM (n = 4), or urine sediment IM (n = 4) from 2 bacteremic cats (donors A and B). Control cats (2/route) received inoculum from culture-negative, seronegative SPF cats (donors C and D).
  
  
  RESULTS
  6 cats (5 blood, 1 urine) were transiently febrile during the 213-day observation period. Two bacteremic cats developed CNS abnormalities. Transient anemia was the only hematologic abnormality. Bacteremia was induced in 7 of 8 blood recipients by postinoculation day (PID) 11. Urine recipients (n = 6) did not become bacteremic or seroconvert by PID 108, but when challenge exposed IV with blood, 4 of 6 became infected. All infected cats developed relapsing bacteremia. Initially, colony counts for donor-A recipients were 10(3) greater than those for donor-B recipients; however, during relapses, counts were similar. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 16S rRNA gene and the intergenic spacer region revealed no differences among isolates derived from recipient cats. Bartonella henselae-specific antibodies were detected between PID 15 and 18 in donor-A, compared with PID 46 and 181 in donor-B recipients. The peak geometric mean titer of donor-A recipients was 1,448, versus 406 for donor-B recipients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Blood transmission of B henselae induced subtle clinical abnormalities; the biological behavior of the 2 donor strains differed; and relapsing bacteremia can persist in conjunction with variably high antibody titers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Companion Animal and Special Species Medicine, College of Veterinay Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27606, USA.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kordick
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Breitschwerdt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary; D001474:Bartonella Infections / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D018416:Bartonella henselae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000635:transmission*; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S