Detection of Bartonella henselae in the blood of 2 adult horses.

BACKGROUND

Bartonella spp. are emerging zoonotic agents that have been found in a wide variety of domestic animals and wildlife and cause a number of clinical syndromes. Bartonella sp. infection has been identified in a growing number of animal species, including cats, rodents, porpoises, and canids, but has not been reported in horses.

OBJECTIVE

To document the presence of Bartonella sp. in the blood of horses.

ANIMALS: One horse with chronic arthropathy and 1 horse with presumptive vasculitis.

METHODS

Blood samples were tested for the presence of Bartonella sp. by a combination of multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction and enrichment culture technique.

RESULTS

Bartonella henselae was isolated or detected in the blood of both horses.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL

IMPORTANCE

Bartonella henselae infection should be investigated as the cause of disease in horses.