Branley J, Wolfson C, Waters P, Gottlieb T, Bradbury R
Department of Microbiology, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, NSW.
Pathology. 1996 Aug;28(3):262-5. doi: 10.1080/00313029600169124.
In order to determine the prevalence of Bartonella henselae becteremia in an Australian cat population we examined blood cultures on a group of Sydney cats. Cats referred to the Concord Animal Hospital for euthanasia were selected randomly for blood culture and serum sampling. Blood samples were lysed and centrifuged and then cultured for up to five weeks. Suspicious colonies were identified biochemically as probable B. henselae. Selected isolates were confirmed as B. henselae using the polymerase chain reaction. Of the cats accrued throughout Sydney, 27/77 (35%) were culture positive for B. henselae, of these 24/59 (40%) were feral cats and 3/18 (16%) were domestic. Most cats in the study were younger than one year (mean 9.9 months). Our study demonstrates that bacteremia with B. henselae is common in the metropolitan cat population and suggests that it is particularly prevalent among feral animals. By contrast Cat Scratch Disease (CSD) is a relatively uncommon clinical diagnosis in the Australian population. Explanations for this discrepancy may include poor transmission, low bacterial virulence and underdiagnosis. It is possible that feral animals are a greater potential risk source for this infection than domestic cats.
为了确定澳大利亚猫群中亨氏巴尔通体菌血症的流行情况，我们对一组悉尼猫的血培养物进行了检测。随机选择送往康科德动物医院实施安乐死的猫进行血培养和血清采样。血液样本经裂解和离心后，培养长达五周。可疑菌落经生化鉴定为可能的亨氏巴尔通体。使用聚合酶链反应将选定的分离株确认为亨氏巴尔通体。在整个悉尼收集的猫中，27/77（35%）的猫亨氏巴尔通体血培养呈阳性，其中24/59（40%）是野猫，3/18（16%）是家猫。研究中的大多数猫年龄小于一岁（平均9.9个月）。我们的研究表明，亨氏巴尔通体菌血症在大都市猫群中很常见，并且表明在野生动物中尤为普遍。相比之下，猫抓病（CSD）在澳大利亚人群中是一种相对不常见的临床诊断。这种差异的解释可能包括传播不良、细菌毒力低和诊断不足。野生动物可能比家猫是这种感染的更大潜在风险源。
