dog and cat assay data sheet

Bartonella

Test code: B0063 - Qualitative screen for Bartonella species by PCR.  This screen detects and differentiates Bartonella henselae, B. bacilliformis, B. claridgeiae, B. elizabethae, B. quintana and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii.

B0063 is included on P0025 - tickborne disease panel

The bacterial genus Bartonella consists of at least 19 species. Among these, eight species have been shown to cause diseases in humans:

• B. bacilliformis can cause Oroya fever and verruga peruana.
• B. henselae, which frequently causes chronic bacteremia in cats, is the most common etiologic agent of cat scratch disease. In immunocompromised human patients, B. henselae can also cause bacillary angiomatosis, peliosis hepatitis, and sometimes endocarditis.
• B. quintana (formerly named as Rochalimea quintana and Rickettsia quintana) is the etiologic agent of trench fever and has also been associated with bacteremia, endocarditis, and bacillary angiomatosis.
• B. clarridgeiae can cause chronic bacteremia in cats and has been associated with cat scratch disease in human.
• B. grahamii has been recovered in a case of neuroretinitis.
• B. elizabethae, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, and B. vinsonii subsp. arupensis have been implicated in endocarditis.

Bartonella species require fastidious growth conditions so that culture isolation is very difficult and slow, usually requiring 2 to 6 weeks of incubation and sometimes longer (La Scola and Raoult, 1999). Molecular detection is usually a better method for rapid, sensitive and specific detection of these bacteria.

Utilities:

• Confirm the disease causing agent
• Shorten the time required to confirm a clinical diagnosis of Bartonella
• Ensure that animal facilities are free of Bartonella
• Early prevention of spread of Bartonella among a facility
• Minimize human exposure to Bartonella species
• Safety monitoring of biological products that derive from susceptible animals

References:
La Scola, B. and Raoult. D. (1999) Culture of Bartonella quintana and Bartonella henselae from human samples: a 5-year experience (1993 to 1998). J. Clin. Microbiol. 37:1899-1905.

Specimen requirements:  0.5 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) or ACD (yellow top) tube, or 0.5 ml fresh, frozen or fixed tissue, or lice or fleas removed from suspect animals.

For specimen types other than those listed here, please call to confirm specimen acceptability and shipping instructions.

For all specimen types, if there will be a delay in shipping, or during very warm weather, refrigerate specimens until shipped and ship with a cold pack unless more stringent shipping requirements are specified. Frozen specimens should be shipped so as to remain frozen in transit. See shipping instructions for more information.

Turnaround time: 2 business days

Methodology: Qualitative PCR

Normal range: Nondetected