RESUMEN
The Bartonella genus consists of neglected pathogens associated with potentially transfusional-transmitted and fatal human diseases. We aimed to evaluate Bartonella sp. prevalence in 500 blood donors and compare the results with the data already published about these samples. We used molecular diagnostic methods to detect Bartonella sp.-DNA from blood and liquid culture samples: (A) conventional PCR for two gene regions, the ITS targeting the genus Bartonella and the specific gltA Bartonella henselae; (B) nested PCR for the ftsZ gene and (C) qualitative real-time PCR for the gltA gene, both B. henselae specific. We obtained 30/500 (6%) DNA detections from the blood samples; 77/500 (15.4%) DNA detections from liquid culture samples and five (1%) samples had DNA detection from both. In total, we detected B. henselae DNA from 102/500 (20.4%) donors. The samples used in this study had already been submitted for Bartonella sp.-DNA detection using only a conventional PCR in liquid culture. Sixteen samples (3.2%) were positive previously, and from these 16 samples, 13 were negative in the new investigation. We concluded that the use of liquid culture combined with different molecular tests increases the possibility of detecting Bartonella sp.-DNA, but the tests do not avoid false-negative results. More than a fifth of blood donors had at least one PCR that detected Bartonella sp.-DNA among the eight molecular reactions performed now (four reactions in whole blood and four in liquid culture). Seven percent had B. henselae-DNA detection for two or more distinct regions. Considering the results obtained previously, the DNA of Bartonella spp. was detected or the agent isolated in 23% of analyzed blood donors. The results establish that the low bacteremia and the fastidious characteristics of the bacterium are challenges to laboratory diagnosis and can make it difficult to confirm the infection in patients with bartonelloses.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Bartonella , Bartonella henselae , Bartonella , Humanos , Bartonella henselae/genética , Donantes de Sangre , Bartonella/genética , Infecciones por Bartonella/epidemiología , Reacción en Cadena en Tiempo Real de la Polimerasa , ADN Bacteriano/genética , ADN Bacteriano/análisisRESUMEN
We report a fatal case of Bartonella henselae bacteremic patient. He had negative serology and PCRs from whole blood and liquid culture; only ftsZ nested PCR was positive from the blood liquid culture. The isolate had positive PCRs. When considered, bartonellosis diagnosis can be still challenging because of technical limitations.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Bartonella/diagnóstico , Reacciones Falso Negativas , Antibacterianos/uso terapéutico , Infecciones por Bartonella/tratamiento farmacológico , Infecciones por Bartonella/microbiología , Infecciones por Bartonella/patología , Resultado Fatal , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Choque Séptico/tratamiento farmacológico , Choque Séptico/microbiología , Choque Séptico/patologíaRESUMEN
Bartonella spp. are bacteria of worldwide distribution that cause asymptomatic to fatal infections in animals and humans. The most common zoonotic species is Bartonella henselae, for which cats are the major natural reservoir host. To better understand Bartonella sp. diagnostic limitations, we determined the frequency of bloodstream infection in 112 cats by comparing and combining the results of multiple conventional and nested PCRs from blood and liquid culture samples. Using liquid culture conventional PCR, Bartonella sp. DNA was amplified from 27.7% of samples (31/112) compared to 90.2% of samples (101/112) by combining nested PCR from blood and liquid culture, indicating that PCR testing of more than one type of sample provides better sensitivity than a standalone PCR and that bloodstream infection is very frequent among cats in southeastern Brazil. This study reinforces the need for multistep testing for Bartonella sp. infection to prevent false-negative diagnostic results, even in reservoir hosts such as cats that typically maintain higher bacteremia levels.
Asunto(s)
Bacteriemia/veterinaria , Infecciones por Bartonella/veterinaria , Cultivo de Sangre , Enfermedades de los Gatos/diagnóstico , ADN Bacteriano/sangre , Técnicas de Diagnóstico Molecular , Animales , Bacteriemia/diagnóstico , Bacteriemia/microbiología , Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , Infecciones por Bartonella/sangre , Infecciones por Bartonella/diagnóstico , Bartonella henselae/genética , Enfermedades de los Gatos/sangre , Gatos , Proteínas del Citoesqueleto/genética , ADN Bacteriano/genética , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Análisis de Secuencia de ADNRESUMEN
Bartonella henselae is a relevant causative agent of bartonelloses in humans. We described an immunocompetent patient with clinical manifestation of chronic cervical lymphadenopathy after a cat-scratch in her forearm. This case shows B. henselae infection persistence even after prolonged antibiotic treatment.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad por Rasguño de Gato/diagnóstico , Linfadenopatía/microbiología , Bartonella henselae/genética , Bartonella henselae/inmunología , Enfermedad por Rasguño de Gato/microbiología , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Huésped InmunocomprometidoRESUMEN
Bacteria from the genus Bartonella are emerging blood-borne bacteria, capable of causing long-lasting infection in marine and terrestrial mammals, including humans. Bartonella are generally well adapted to their main host, causing persistent infection without clinical manifestation. However, these organisms may cause severe disease in natural or accidental hosts. In humans, Bartonella species have been detected from sick patients presented with diverse disease manifestations, including cat scratch disease, trench fever, bacillary angiomatosis, endocarditis, polyarthritis, or granulomatous inflammatory disease. However, with the advances in diagnostic methods, subclinical bloodstream infection in humans has been reported, with the potential for transmission through blood transfusion been recently investigated by our group. The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors associated with Bartonella species infection in asymptomatic blood donors presented at a major blood bank in Southeastern Brazil. Five hundred blood donors were randomly enrolled and tested for Bartonella species infection by specialized blood cultured coupled with high-sensitive PCR assays. Epidemiological questionnaires were designed to cover major potential risk factors, such as age, gender, ethnicity, contact with companion animals, livestock, or wild animals, bites from insects or animal, economical status, among other factors. Based on multivariate logistic regression, bloodstream infection with B. henselae or B. clarridgeiae was associated with cat contact (adjusted OR: 3.4, 95% CI: 1.1-9.6) or history of tick bite (adjusted OR: 3.7, 95% CI: 1.3-13.4). These risk factors should be considered during donor screening, as bacteremia by these Bartonella species may not be detected by traditional laboratory screening methods, and it may be transmitted by blood transfusion.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Bartonella/parasitología , Bartonella/aislamiento & purificación , Donantes de Sangre/estadística & datos numéricos , Animales , Bacteriemia , Infecciones por Bartonella/epidemiología , Brasil/epidemiología , Gatos , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Exposición Profesional , Factores de Riesgo , ZoonosisRESUMEN
Human exposure to Bartonella clarridgeiae has been reported only on the basis of antibody detection. We report for the first time an asymptomatic human blood donor infected with B. clarridgeiae, as documented by enrichment blood culture, PCR, and DNA sequencing.
Asunto(s)
Técnicas Bacteriológicas/métodos , Infecciones por Bartonella , Bartonella/genética , Donantes de Sangre , Adulto , Infecciones por Bartonella/diagnóstico , Infecciones por Bartonella/microbiología , Humanos , Masculino , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Análisis de Secuencia de ADNRESUMEN
Bartonella species are fastidious bacteria that predominantly infect mammalian erythrocytes and endothelial cells and cause long-lasting bacteraemia in their reservoir hosts. Reports that describe the epidemiology of bartonellosis in Brazil are limited. This study aimed to detect and characterise Bartonella spp DNA from cat blood samples in São Luís, Maranhão, north-eastern Brazil. Among 200 cats tested for multiple genes, nine (4.5%) were positive for Bartonella spp: six cats for Bartonella henselae and three for Bartonella clarridgeiae. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of four genes, the B. henselae strain matched strains previously observed in Brazil and was positioned in the same clade as B. henselae isolates from the United States of America. Moreover, sequence alignment demonstrated that the B. clarridgeiae strain detected in the present study was the same as the one recently detected in cats from southern Brazil.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Bartonella/veterinaria , Bartonella/genética , Enfermedades de los Gatos/microbiología , Animales , Bartonella/clasificación , Bartonella/aislamiento & purificación , Infecciones por Bartonella/diagnóstico , Infecciones por Bartonella/microbiología , Bartonella henselae/genética , Bartonella henselae/aislamiento & purificación , Enfermedades de los Gatos/diagnóstico , Gatos , ADN Bacteriano/análisis , Femenino , Masculino , Filogenia , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa/veterinariaRESUMEN
Bartonella species are fastidious bacteria that predominantly infect mammalian erythrocytes and endothelial cells and cause long-lasting bacteraemia in their reservoir hosts. Reports that describe the epidemiology of bartonellosis in Brazil are limited. This study aimed to detect and characterise Bartonella spp DNA from cat blood samples in São Luís, Maranhão, north-eastern Brazil. Among 200 cats tested for multiple genes, nine (4.5%) were positive for Bartonella spp: six cats for Bartonella henselae and three for Bartonella clarridgeiae. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of four genes, the B. henselae strain matched strains previously observed in Brazil and was positioned in the same clade as B. henselae isolates from the United States of America. Moreover, sequence alignment demonstrated that the B. clarridgeiae strain detected in the present study was the same as the one recently detected in cats from southern Brazil.
Asunto(s)
Animales , Gatos , Femenino , Masculino , Infecciones por Bartonella/veterinaria , Bartonella/genética , Enfermedades de los Gatos/microbiología , Infecciones por Bartonella/diagnóstico , Infecciones por Bartonella/microbiología , Bartonella henselae/genética , Bartonella henselae/aislamiento & purificación , Bartonella/clasificación , Bartonella/aislamiento & purificación , Enfermedades de los Gatos/diagnóstico , ADN Bacteriano/análisis , Filogenia , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa/veterinariaRESUMEN
Ehrlichiosis is a disease caused by rickettsial organisms belonging to the genus Ehrlichia. In Brazil, molecular and serological studies have evaluated the occurrence of Ehrlichia species in dogs, cats, wild animals and humans. Ehrlichia canis is the main species found in dogs in Brazil, although E. ewingii infection has been recently suspected in five dogs. Ehrlichia chaffeensis DNA has been detected and characterized in mash deer, whereas E. muris and E. ruminantium have not yet been identified in Brazil. Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis caused by E. canis appears to be highly endemic in several regions of Brazil, however prevalence data are not available for several regions. Ehrlichia canis DNA also has been detected and molecularly characterized in three domestic cats, and antibodies against E. canis were detected in free-ranging Neotropical felids. There is serological evidence suggesting the occurrence of human ehrlichiosis in Brazil but its etiologic agent has not yet been established. Improved molecular diagnostic resources for laboratory testing will allow better identification and characterization of ehrlichial organisms associated with human ehrlichiosis in Brazil.
Asunto(s)
Ehrlichiosis/veterinaria , Animales , Brasil/epidemiología , Enfermedades de los Perros/epidemiología , Enfermedades de los Perros/microbiología , Perros , Ehrlichiosis/epidemiología , Mascotas , Salud PúblicaRESUMEN
Ehrlichiosis is a disease caused by rickettsial organisms belonging to the genus Ehrlichia. In Brazil, molecular and serological studies have evaluated the occurrence of Ehrlichia species in dogs, cats, wild animals and humans. Ehrlichia canis is the main species found in dogs in Brazil, although E. ewingii infection has been recently suspected in five dogs. Ehrlichia chaffeensis DNA has been detected and characterized in mash deer, whereas E. muris and E. ruminantium have not yet been identified in Brazil. Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis caused by E. canis appears to be highly endemic in several regions of Brazil, however prevalence data are not available for several regions. Ehrlichia canis DNA also has been detected and molecularly characterized in three domestic cats, and antibodies against E. canis were detected in free-ranging Neotropical felids. There is serological evidence suggesting the occurrence of human ehrlichiosis in Brazil but its etiologic agent has not yet been established. Improved molecular diagnostic resources for laboratory testing will allow better identification and characterization of ehrlichial organisms associated with human ehrlichiosis in Brazil.
Erliquiose é uma doença causada por rickettsias pertencentes ao gênero Ehrlichia. No Brasil, estudos sorológicos e moleculares têm avaliado a ocorrência de espécies de Ehrlichia em cães, gatos, animais selvagens e seres humanos. Ehrlichia canis é a principal espécie em cães no Brasil, embora a infecção por E. ewingii tenha, recentemente, despertado suspeita em cinco cães. O DNA de E. chaffeensis foi detectado e caracterizado em cervo-do-pantanal, enquanto que E. muris e E. ruminantium ainda não foram identificadas no Brasil. A erliquiose monocítica canina causada pela E. canis parece ser altamente endêmica em muitas regiões do Brasil, embora dados de prevalência não estejam disponíveis em muitas delas. O DNA de E. canis também foi detectado e caracterizado em três gatos domésticos, enquanto anticorpos contra E. canis foram detectados em felídeos neotropicais de vida livre. Evidências sorológicas sugerem a ocorrência de erliquiose humana no Brasil, entretanto, o agente etiológico ainda não foi identificado. A melhoria do diagnóstico molecular promoverá a identificação e caracterização de espécies associadas à erliquiose humana no Brasil.
Asunto(s)
Animales , Perros , Ehrlichiosis/veterinaria , Brasil/epidemiología , Enfermedades de los Perros/epidemiología , Enfermedades de los Perros/microbiología , Ehrlichiosis/epidemiología , Mascotas , Salud PúblicaRESUMEN
Bartonella spp. constitute emerging pathogens of worldwide distribution. Bacillary angiomatosis is the most frequent skin manifestation of bartonelloses; nevertheless, B. henselae infection should always be considered systemic, especially in immunodeficient individuals. The authors report the case of an AIDS patient with bacillary angiomatosis, who had concurrent severe anemia, hepatitis, peritonitis, pleuritis, and pericarditis. Clinical manifestation, electronic microscopic examination of erythrocytes, and histopathology of a papule biopsy suggested a Bartonella sp. infection. Multiple genes were target by PCR and B. henselae DNA was amplified and sequenced (GenBank accession number EF196804) from the angiomatous papule. Treatment with clarithromycin resulted in resolution of the bacillary angiomatosis, fever, anemia, panserosites, and hepatitis.
Asunto(s)
Anemia/microbiología , Angiomatosis Bacilar/microbiología , Bartonella henselae/aislamiento & purificación , Infecciones por VIH/microbiología , Hepatitis/microbiología , Serositis/microbiología , Enfermedades de la Piel/microbiología , Infecciones Oportunistas Relacionadas con el SIDA/tratamiento farmacológico , Infecciones Oportunistas Relacionadas con el SIDA/microbiología , Infecciones Oportunistas Relacionadas con el SIDA/patología , Adulto , Anemia/tratamiento farmacológico , Anemia/patología , Angiomatosis Bacilar/tratamiento farmacológico , Angiomatosis Bacilar/patología , Antibacterianos/uso terapéutico , Bartonella henselae/genética , Secuencia de Bases , Claritromicina/uso terapéutico , ADN Bacteriano/análisis , Eritrocitos/microbiología , Eritrocitos/ultraestructura , Hepatitis/tratamiento farmacológico , Hepatitis/patología , Humanos , Huésped Inmunocomprometido , Masculino , Microscopía Electrónica de Transmisión/métodos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Serositis/tratamiento farmacológico , Serositis/patología , Enfermedades de la Piel/tratamiento farmacológico , Enfermedades de la Piel/patología , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
The purpose of this study was to determine the serological and molecular prevalence of Bartonella spp. infection in a sick dog population from Brazil. At the São Paulo State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Botucatu, 198 consecutive dogs with clinicopathological abnormalities consistent with tick-borne infections were sampled. Antibodies to Bartonella henselae and Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii were detected in 2.0% (4/197) and 1.5% (3/197) of the dogs, respectively. Using 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) primers, Bartonella DNA was amplified from only 1/198 blood samples. Bartonella seroreactive and/or PCR positive blood samples (n=8) were inoculated into a liquid pre-enrichment growth medium (BAPGM) and subsequently sub-inoculated onto BAPGM/blood-agar plates. PCR targeting the ITS region, pap31 and rpoB genes amplified B. henselae from the blood and/or isolates of the PCR positive dog (ITS: DQ346666; pap31 gene: DQ351240; rpoB: EF196806). B. henselae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (pap31: DQ906160; rpoB: EF196805) co-infection was found in one of the B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii seroreactive dogs. We conclude that dogs in this study population were infrequently exposed to or infected with a Bartonella species. The B. henselae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii strains identified in this study are genetically similar to strains isolated from septicemic cats, dogs, coyotes and human beings from other parts of the world. To our knowledge, these isolates provide the first Brazilian DNA sequences from these Bartonella species and the first evidence of Bartonella co-infection in dogs.