Detection of Bartonella henselae in the blood of 2 adult horses.
BACKGROUND
Bartonella spp. are emerging zoonotic agents that have been found in a wide variety of domestic animals and wildlife and cause a number of clinical syndromes. Bartonella sp. infection has been identified in a growing number of animal species, including cats, rodents, porpoises, and canids, but has not been reported in horses.


OBJECTIVE
To document the presence of Bartonella sp. in the blood of horses.


METHODS
One horse with chronic arthropathy and 1 horse with presumptive vasculitis.


METHODS
Blood samples were tested for the presence of Bartonella sp. by a combination of multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction and enrichment culture technique.


RESULTS
Bartonella henselae was isolated or detected in the blood of both horses.


CONCLUSIONS
Bartonella henselae infection should be investigated as the cause of disease in horses.
Jones
S L
SL
Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA. sam_jones@ncsu.edu
Maggi
R
R
Shuler
J
J
Alward
A
A
Breitschwerdt
E B
EB
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D001474:Bartonella Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D018416:Bartonella henselae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D006736:Horses; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial