title: Bartonella henselae transmission by blood transfusion in mice.
abstract: Bartonella spp. are neglected fastidious Gram-negative bacilli. We isolated Bartonella henselae from 1.2% of 500 studied blood donors and demonstrated that the bacteria remain viable in red blood cell units after 35 days of experimental infection. Now, we aim to evaluate the possibility of B. henselae transmission by blood transfusion in a mouse model.
  
  
  
  Eight BALB/c mice were intraperitoneal inoculated with a 30 µL of suspension with 10(4) CFU/mL of B. henselae and a second group of eight mice were inoculated with saline solution and used as control. After 96 hours of inoculation, the animals were euthanized. We collected blood and tissue samples from skin, liver, and spleen. Thirty microliters of blood from four Bartonella-inoculated animals were transfused into a new group (n = 4). Another group received blood from the control animals. B. henselae infection was investigated by conventional and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
  
  
  
  Blood samples from all 24 mice were negative by molecular tests though half of the tissue samples were positive by nested PCR in the intraperitoneal Bartonella-investigated animals. Tissues from two of the four mice that received blood transfusions from Bartonella-inoculated animals were also nested PCR positives.
  
  
  
  Transmission of B. henselae by transfusion is possible in mice even when donor animals have undetectable bloodstream infection. The impact of human Bartonella sp. transmission through blood transfusion recipients must be evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marilene Neves
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School, Campinas, SP, Brazil.|Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, Jaguariaiva, PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gislaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vieira-Damiani
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Marna Elise
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ericson
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Kalpna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Quality Control, Multidisciplinary Center of Biological Investigation (CEMIB), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rovilson
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gilioli
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Amanda Roberta
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: de Almeida
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marina Rovani
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Drummond
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno Grosselli
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Lania
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de Almeida Lins
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tânia Cristina Benetti
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Medical School, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Eduardo Neves Ferreira
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Velho
mesh_terms: D016917:Angiomatosis, Bacillary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000635:transmission*; D000818:Animals; D018416:Bartonella henselae / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D001782:Blood Donors; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D065227:Transfusion Reaction