Lyme borreliosis in dogs

La maladie de Lyme est caractérisée chez le Chien par une arthrite induisant une boiterie, de l’anorexie, de la fièvre, une léthargie, une adénomégalie et parfois une glomérulonéphrite fatale. En absence de mise en évidence de Borrelia dans les prélèvements, le diagnostic repose essentiellement sur un faisceau d’arguments épidémiologique, clinique, sérologique et thérapeutique, après exclusion des autres causes aboutissant au même tableau clinique. La thérapeutique s’appuie sur une antibiothérapie principalement à base de doxycycline. La prévention passe par l’utilisation d’acaricides contre Ixodes spp., vecteurs des Borrelia et éventuellement l’administration d’un vaccin.Lyme disease is characterized in dogs by fever, arthritis that induces lameness, anorexia, lethargy, adenomegaly and sometimes fatal glomerulonephritis. In the absence of direct evidence of Borrelia in the samples, the diagnosis is mainly based on a bundle of epidemiological, clinical, serological and therapeutic arguments, after exclusion of the other causes leading to the same symptoms. Therapy is based on antibiotic like doxycycline. Acaricides against Ixodes spp., vectors of Borrelia, are the main tool for prevention. Vaccines are also possibly available

Transmission of Bartonella henselae by Ixodes ricinus

The causative agent of cat-scratch disease in humans can be transmitted by this tick through saliva

Genetic diversity of Anaplasma Phagocytophilum, the causative agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis, implications for epidemiology and control in france

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-borne bacterium and the etiologic agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis, an emerging disease that affects a wide range of mammals. In this paper, we present the recent knowledge gained from studies on the genetic diversity of this pathogen in France. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) was used to characterize the genetic diversity of A. phagocytophilum in populations of French cattle, horses, dogs, and roe deer. MLSA was based on nine loci (ankA, msp4, groESL, typA, pled, gyrA, recG, polA, and an intergenic region). Phylogenic analysis revealed three genetic clusters of bacterial variants in domesticated animals. The two principal clusters included 98% of the bacterial genotypes found in cattle, which were only distantly related to those in roe deer. One cluster comprised only cattle genotypes, while the second contained genotypes from cattle, horses, and dogs. The third contained all roe deer genotypes and three cattle genotypes. These results suggest that roe deer do not contribute to the spread of A. phagocytophilum in cattle in France. A Multiple-Locus Variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) Analysis typing technique was developed for A. phagocytophilum. Five VNTRs were selected based on the HZ human-derived strain genome, and were tested on the Webster human-derived strain and on 123 DNA samples. This study confirmed that A. phagocytophilum from roe deer or domestic ruminants belong to two different clusters, while A. phagocytophilum from red deer and domestic ruminants locate within the same cluster, questioning the respective roles of roe vs red deer as reservoir hosts for domestic ruminant strains in Europe. The molecular techniques recently developed have great potential to provide detailed information on A. phagocytophilum isolates,improving both epidemiological and phylogenic investigations, thereby helping in the development of relevant prevention and control measures.A. phagocytophilum, bactérie transmise par les tiques, est responsable de l’anaplasmose granulocytaire, une maladie émergente qui infecte une large gamme de mammifères dont l’homme. L’objectif de cet article est de présenter les nouvelles connaissances acquises sur la diversité génétique d’A. phagocytophilum chez différentes espèces d’hôtes en France, afin de déterminer quelles espèces participent au même cycle épidémiologique. Une analyse par séquençage multi-locus (MLSA) a été effectuée dans des populations de bovins, chevaux, chiens et chevreuils. Trois groupes de génotypes infectant les bovins ont été identifiés. Les deux groupes principaux incluent 98% des génotypes bactériens trouvés chez les bovins et sont éloignés de ceux des chevreuils. Un cluster ne comprenait que les génotypes de bovins, tandis que le second génotype contenant des bovins comprenait également des chevaux et des chiens. Le troisième cluster contenait tous les génotypes de chevreuils et trois génotypes de bovins. Ces résultats suggèrent que les chevreuils ne contribuent pas à la propagation d’A. phagocytophilum chez les bovins en France. Puis, une technique MLVA (Multiple Loci VNTR Analysis) a été développée pour A. phagocytophilum. Cinq VNTR ont été sélectionnés sur la base du génome de la souche d’origine humaine HZ, et ont été testés sur 123 échantillons d’ADN provenant d’animaux domestiques ou sauvages. Cette étude a confirmé que les souches d’A. phagocytophilum retrouvées chez les chevreuils et les ruminants domestiques appartiennent à deux groupes différents, alors que les souches identifiées chez les cerfs et les ruminants domestiques sont localisées dans le même cluster. Ces résultats remettent en question les rôles respectifs des chevreuils et des cerfs comme hôtes réservoirs pour les souches d’A. phagocytophilum de ruminants domestiques en Europe. Ces techniques moléculaires ont un grand potentiel pour améliorer nos connaissances sur les cycles épidémiologiques d’A. phagocytophilum, contribuant ainsi à l’élaboration de mesures de prévention et de contrôle pertinents

Endocarditis in Cattle Caused by Bartonella bovis

This study aimed to determine the role of Bartonella as an endocarditis agent in cattle. Bartonella bovis was identified by PCR, gene sequences analysis, and specific internal transcribed spacer amplicon product size in 2 bovine endocarditis cases with high antibody titers, which demonstrates that B. bovis is a pathogen for cattle

Bartonella rochalimae in Raccoons, Coyotes, and Red Foxes

To determine additional reservoirs for Bartonella rochalimae, we examined samples from several wildlife species. We isolated B. rochalimae from 1 red fox near Paris, France, and from 11 raccoons and 2 coyotes from California, USA. Co-infection with B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii was documented in 1 of the coyotes

Bartonella Spp. in Pets and Effect on Human Health

Pets represent a large reservoir for human infection

Transmission of Bartonella henselae by Ixodes ricinus

The causative agent of cat-scratch disease in humans can be transmitted by this tick through saliva

Multi-Locus Sequence Typing of Bartonella henselae Isolates from Three Continents Reveals Hypervirulent and Feline-Associated Clones

Bartonella henselae is a zoonotic pathogen and the causative agent of cat scratch disease and a variety of other disease manifestations in humans. Previous investigations have suggested that a limited subset of B. henselae isolates may be associated with human disease. In the present study, 182 human and feline B. henselae isolates from Europe, North America and Australia were analysed by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) to detect any associations between sequence type (ST), host species and geographical distribution of the isolates. A total of 14 sequence types were detected, but over 66% (16/24) of the isolates recovered from human disease corresponded to a single genotype, ST1, and this type was detected in all three continents. In contrast, 27.2% (43/158) of the feline isolates corresponded to ST7, but this ST was not recovered from humans and was restricted to Europe. The difference in host association of STs 1 (human) and 7 (feline) was statistically significant (P≤0.001). eBURST analysis assigned the 14 STs to three clonal lineages, which contained two or more STs, and a singleton comprising ST7. These groups were broadly consistent with a neighbour-joining tree, although splits decomposition analysis was indicative of a history of recombination. These data indicate that B. henselae lineages differ in their virulence properties for humans and contribute to a better understanding of the population structure of B. henselae