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. 1998 Apr-Jun;4(2):325–328. doi: 10.3201/eid0402.980225

Persistent infection of pets within a household with three Bartonella species.

D L Kordick 1, E B Breitschwerdt 1
PMCID: PMC2640143  PMID: 9621208

Abstract

We monitored by blood culture and immunofluorescence assay (IFA) bartonella infection in one dog and eight cats in a household to determine the prevalence and persistence of the infection as well as its transmissibility to humans. Ectoparasite control was rigorously exercised. During a 3-year period, Bartonella clarridgeiae was recovered from one cat on two occasions, and B. henselae was isolated from another cat on four occasions. During a 16-month period, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii was isolated from the dog on 8 of 10 culture attempts. Despite extensive household contact, the pet owner was seronegative to all three species by IFA for Bartonella-specific immunoglobulin G.

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Selected References

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