AUTHOR=Sayed Amal S. M. , Alsaadawy Reem M. , Ali Magda M. , Abd El-Hamid Rawhia F. , Baty Roua Sami , Elmahallawy Ehab Kotb 

TITLE=Serological and Molecular Detection of Bartonella henselae in Cats and Humans From Egypt: Current Status and Zoonotic Implications

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.859104

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2022.859104

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>Bartonellosis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease caused by the intracellular bacterium of genus <italic>Bartonella</italic>. The disease has a worldwide distribution and cats represent the major reservoir of this disease. Despite its global distribution, very limited previous studies have investigated the occurrence of bartonellosis in cats and their owners in Egypt. In an endeavor to explore this topic, we investigated the occurrence of <italic>Bartonella henselae (B. henselae</italic>) infection in 225 samples (blood, saliva, and claw) obtained from 75 healthy cats in Upper Egypt. These samples were routinely obtained during veterinary clinic visits. This study also involved an examination of 100 humans, including cat owners and people with a history of contact with cats. Attempted isolation and identification of <italic>B. henselae</italic> in cats were also performed. Furthermore, PCR was performed for molecular identification of <italic>B. henselae</italic> in blood samples from cats. Meanwhile, an immunofluorescent assay was performed to study the seroprevalence of <italic>B. henselae</italic> infection in humans. In this study, <italic>B. henselae</italic> could not be isolated from any of the examined blood, saliva, or claw samples from cats. Interestingly, <italic>B. henselae</italic> was identified molecularly in 8% (6/75) of blood samples from cats. The seroprevalence of <italic>B. henselae</italic> in humans was 46% and its occurrence was higher in females (46.6%) than in males (41.7%) (<italic>P</italic> = 0.748). <italic>B. henselae</italic> infection was higher among cat owners [51.4% (19/37)] than among people with a history of contact with cats [42.9% (27/63)] (<italic>P</italic> = 0.410). Infection was higher in rural regions [79.5% (31/39)] than in urban regions [24.6% (15/61)] (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.001). Collectively, this data provide interesting baseline information about the occurrence of <italic>B. henselae</italic> in cats and humans in Upper Egypt, which reflects the potential zoonotic transmission of this bacterium. Future study is mandatory to explore the occurrence of <italic>B. henselae</italic> in major reservoirs in Egypt.</p>