Causes of Bartonellosis in Cats
Dog Breeds
Cats infected with Bartonellosis usually obtain the infection through flea and tick bites from fleas and ticks that are carrying the Bartonella bacteria. While many cats carry the bacteria without showing any symptoms, some cats infected with the bacteria can develop Feline Bartonellosis disease.
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Introduction
Cats infected with Bartonellosis usually obtain the infection through flea and tick bites from fleas and ticks that are carrying the Bartonella bacteria. While many cats carry the bacteria without showing any symptoms, some cats infected with the bacteria can develop Feline Bartonellosis disease.
Causes of Bartonellosis in Cats
As Feline Bartonellosis is a blood borne disease, it is transferred from cat to cat most often through flea and tick bites. In some cases, mutual injuries from cat fights where blood is exchanged may also cause transmission of the disease. Fleas and ticks pick up the bacteria when they feed off an infected host, and they are not affected by the bacteria when they carry it.
Cats that are at an increased risk for developing Feline Bartonellosis include cats which are in stressful, overcrowded, environments or who have compromised immune systems. Many cats that develop Feline Bartonellosis are either very young, very old, or they have lowered immune function due to disease such as FIV or FeLV.
The Bartonella bacteria causes Bartonellosis disease by infecting red blood cells. This type of bacteria is covered in small structures called pili, and the pili help the bacteria to stick onto red blood cells and eventually enter into the inside of the cells. Once the bacteria are inside the red blood cells they reduce the function of the cells causing a variety of symptoms to develop.
Re-infection of Feline Bartonellosis through flea and tick bites can occur if the treated cat is again exposed to an environment where fleas and ticks are carrying the bacteria.
Is Bartonellosis Contagious?
Feline Bartonellosis, caused by the Bartonella bacteria, is in itself not a contagious disease. However, the Bartonella bacteria can be transmitted between cats, dogs, and humans and may lead to some illnesses such as Bartonellosis and a condition in people known as Cat Scratch Fever.
Transmission of Bartonellosis
The primary transmission of the Bartonella bacteria between cats and dogs occurs through flea, and sometimes tick, bites. The bacteria can also be transmitted through cat scratches if cats have infected flea dirt under their claws. Fleas ingest, and then carry, the bacteria when they feed off an infected host. When they eliminate, their feces can contain live Bartonella bacteria, and the feces, also known as flea dirt, can then be gathered under a cat’s claws while the cat scratches itself.
There are still ongoing studies to determine why some cats carry the Bartonella bacteria in their blood without any effects, and why some seem to develop the Bartonellosis disease. Studies on how this disease affects infected dogs are also ongoing. Currently, dogs seem to carry the bacteria without any symptoms and if symptoms do appear they are mild flu like symptoms.
Bartonellosis in People
Bartonella infections are considered to be a kind of zoonotic disease because they are passed from animals to people. Cats can infect people with Cat Scratch Fever if they scratch people while they have infected flea dirt under their claws. While cats can carry multiple types of Bartonella bacteria in their blood stream, the Bartonella henselae strain seems to be the one responsible for causing Cat Scratch Fever.
In most cases, people are resistant to developing infections caused by exposure to Bartonella henselae. However, people that have compromised immune systems seem to have an increased chance of developing Cat Scratch Fever.
Symptoms and Types
Overview and Facts