Bartonella henselae is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, including cat scratch disease, endocarditis and meningoencephalitis, in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. We report the first molecularly confirmed case of B. henselae infection in an AIDS patient in state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although DNA sequence of B. henselae has been detected by polymerase chain reaction in a lymph node biopsy, acute and convalescent sera were nonreactive.

Cat scratch disease is a zoonosis caused by Bartonella species, transmitted to humans through scratches or bites from infected cats and via direct contact with infected feces. Sporotrichosis, caused by the fungal complex Sporothrix, is transmitted by traumatic inoculation of the fungus. Cats are important in zoonotic transmission. Serum samples from 112 domestic cats with sporotrichosis and 77 samples from healthy cats were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), using the commercial kit Bartonella henselae IFA IgG (Bion). The presence of antibodies against feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) core antigens was detected using the commercial kit Snap Combo FIV-FeLV (Idexx). The group of animals with sporotrichosis contained 93 males with a median age of 22 months, eight (7.1%) of which were positive for FIV and 15 (13.4%) for FeLV. The group of animals without sporotrichosis contained 36 males with a median age 48 months, 10 (13.0%) of which were positive for FIV and eight (10.4%) for FeLV. Of the 112 cats with sporotrichosis and 77 cats without mycosis, 72 (64.3%) and 35 (45.5%), respectively, were IFA reactive. No association was found between age, sex, FIV/FeLV and the presence of antibodies to Bartonella species. The results suggest that the study population can be considered a potential source of zoonotic infection for both diseases.

Background Blood culture-negative infective endocarditis is a potentially severe disease that can be associated with infectious agents such as Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetti, Tropheryma whipplei, and some fungi. Case presentation Reported here are two cases of blood culture-negative infective endocarditis in patients with severe aortic and mitral regurgitation in Brazil; the first case is a 47-year-old white man and the second is a 62-year-old white woman. Bartonella henselae deoxyribonucleic acid was detectable in the blood samples and cardiac valve with vegetation paraffin-fixed tissue samples. Additionally, an investigation was carried out on patients’ pets, within the context of One Health, and serum samples collected from cats and dogs were reactive by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Conclusions Even though the frequency of bartonellosis in Brazil is unknown, physicians should be aware of the possibility of blood culture-negative infective endocarditis caused by Bartonella, particularly in patients with weight loss, kidney changes, and epidemiological history for domestic animals.

Background: Due to immunological susceptibility, close contact with the environment and way of life, indigenous communities are in a highly vulnerable condition to be affected by zoonoses, such as bartonellosis. Methods: Seventy three paired serum samples were collected from indigenous people from a region of the Brazilian Legal Amazon, in cohorts carried out in 2014 and 2015, with the performance of serological tests by indirect immunofluorescence to detect anti-Bartonella IgG antibodies. The interviews and laboratory results were double entered in the EpiInfo 7 software, and the data processing was performed in the MiniTab 17 software.Results: 5.47% of the indigenous people were seroreagent. The female gender was predominant (65.75%), aged between 20 and 39 years old (39.73%) with complete elementary school (42.47%). As for housing, wooden residences predominated (50.68%). Rodents were seen by 46.58% of the interviewees, and 55.88% of them reported that the animal was close to or inside the house. It was identified that each indigenous family, in its majority, had four to six cats, for the function of hunters of rodents. Conclusion:The high concentration of domestic cats, the close contact of indigenous people with wild rodents and the lack of care and poor hygiene of both are aspects that imply the possibility of infection by Bartonella sp. Health surveillance through seroepidemiological studies is essential to find evidence of the circulation of bartonellosis in these populations.