Bartonella henselae

General information

Bartonella are gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacteria which are transmitted by fleas and ticks. Bartonella henselae is mostly known as the causative agent of “cat-scratch disease” in humans. Infections in cats are predominantly subclinical. Fever, muscular pain, local lymphadenopathy and, rarely, also neurological symptoms can occur, which usually disappear again after a few days. Recently, the involvement of Bartonella henselae in gingivitis and stomatitis in cats has been discussed more frequently. Pathogen detection and antibody detection often do not match and a definitive diagnosis is linked to the detection of the pathogen. A negative PCR result does not exclude an infection with B. henselae and should be repeated in case of clinical suspicion.