-The present manuscript reviews the factors associated with the emergence of these zoonotic pathogens, including better diagnostic tools and methods to identify these fastidious bacteria, host immunosuppression (caused by infectious agents, cancer, aging or induced by immunosuppressive drugs), the interaction of co-infection by several infectious agents that may enhanced the pathogenecity of these bacteria, increased outdoor activity leading to exposure to wildlife reservoirs or vectors, poverty and low income associated with infestation by various ectoparasites, such as body lice and finally the dispersal of Bartonellae around the world. Furthermore, a description of the main epidemiological and clinical features of zoonotic Bartonellae is given. Finally, the main means for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of these diseases are presented.

Adaptive radiation is the rapid origination of multiple species from a single ancestor as the result of concurrent adaptation to disparate environments. This fundamental evolutionary process is considered to be responsible for the genesis of a great portion of the diversity of life. Bacteria have evolved enormous biological diversity by exploiting an exceptional range of environments, yet diversification of bacteria via adaptive radiation has been documented in a few cases only and the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here we show a compelling example of adaptive radiation in pathogenic bacteria and reveal their genetic basis. Our evolutionary genomic analyses of the α-proteobacterial genus Bartonella uncover two parallel adaptive radiations within these host-restricted mammalian pathogens. We identify a horizontally-acquired protein secretion system, which has evolved to target specific bacterial effector proteins into host cells as the evolutionary key innovation triggering these parallel adaptive radiations. We show that the functional versatility and adaptive potential of the VirB type IV secretion system (T4SS), and thereby translocated Bartonella effector proteins (Beps), evolved in parallel in the two lineages prior to their radiations. Independent chromosomal fixation of the virB operon and consecutive rounds of lineage-specific bep gene duplications followed by their functional diversification characterize these parallel evolutionary trajectories. Whereas most Beps maintained their ancestral domain constitution, strikingly, a novel type of effector protein emerged convergently in both lineages. This resulted in similar arrays of host cell-targeted effector proteins in the two lineages of Bartonella as the basis of their independent radiation. The parallel molecular evolution of the VirB/Bep system displays a striking example of a key innovation involved in independent adaptive processes and the emergence of bacterial pathogens. Furthermore, our study highlights the remarkable evolvability of T4SSs and their effector proteins, explaining their broad application in bacterial interactions with the environment.

Results suggest that tumor stage, tumor size, and OHE status were significant prognostic factors associated with survival 2 years after surgery in dogs with malignant mammary tumors. Further, either dogs with tumors > or = 5 cm in diameter or dogs with tumors present for > 6 months prior to surgery had a higher risk of having lymph node metastases.

Ticks are the vectors of many zoonotic diseases in the United States, including Lyme disease, human monocytic and granulocytic ehrlichioses, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Most known Bartonella species are arthropod borne. Therefore, it is important to determine if some Bartonella species, which are emerging pathogens, could be carried or transmitted by ticks. In this study, adult Ixodes pacificus ticks were collected by flagging vegetation in three sites in Santa Clara County, Calif. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and partial sequencing of 273 bp of the gltA gene were applied for Bartonella identification. Twenty-nine (19.2%) of 151 individually tested ticks were PCR positive for Bartonella. Male ticks were more likely to be infected with Bartonella than female ticks (26 versus 12%, P ‫؍‬ 0.05). None of the nine ticks collected at Baird Ranch was PCR positive for Bartonella. However, 7 (50%) of 14 ticks from Red Fern Ranch and 22 (17%) of 128 ticks from the Windy Hill Open Space Reserve were infected with Bartonella. In these infected ticks, molecular analysis showed a variety of Bartonella strains, which were closely related to a cattle Bartonella strain and to several known human-pathogenic Bartonella species and subspecies: Bartonella henselae, B. quintana, B. washoensis, and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii. These findings indicate that I. pacificus ticks may play an important role in Bartonella transmission among animals and humans.Bartonella spp. are emerging pathogens, as new Bartonella species have been identified in humans and a wide range of mammals in recent years (5,17,18,(20)(21)(22)(23)27,28; B. B. Chomel, R.

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These findings strongly suggested that expression of PR could be used as a prognostic factor for survival, especially in female dogs with malignant mammary gland tumors with ERA expression.

We report the first documented case of endocarditis associated with Bartonella clarridgeiae in any species. B. clarridgeiae was identified as a possible etiological agent of human cat scratch disease. Infective vegetative valvular aortic endocarditis was diagnosed in a 2.5-year-old male neutered boxer. Historically, the dog had been diagnosed with a systolic murmur at 16 months of age and underwent balloon valvuloplasty for severe valvular aortic stenosis. Six months later, the dog was brought to a veterinary hospital with an acute third-degree atrioventricular block and was diagnosed with infective endocarditis. (1,5,8,19,20,45,49).At present, only two Bartonella species have been identified to cause clinical diseases in dogs. B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii has been shown to cause endocarditis, arrhythmia, and myocarditis (6, 9, 31), as well as granulomatous lymphadenitis and granulomatous rhinitis (40), and B. henselae was recently associated with a case of peliosis hepatis (27). During an active investigation of canine endocarditis cases, we cultured a fastidious, gram-negative organism that we identified to be B. clarridgeiae from the blood of a dog with an aortic endocarditis. We describe the clinicopathologic and histopathologic features as well as the microbiologic and genotypic identification of the organism isolated from the dog's blood and detected by molecular methods in the infected aortic valve. MATERIALS AND METHODSStrain sources. The type strains of B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (ATCC 51672) and B. clarridgeiae (ATCC 51734) were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (Rockville, Md.). Isolate B. henselae strain U4 was obtained from our culture collection at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Isolate UCD-dog1 was cultured from the blood of the dog described in this report.Clinical samples. Blood (6 ml) was collected aseptically from the dog's external jugular vein and both lateral saphenous veins at the time of acute thirddegree atrioventricular (AV) block, infectious endocarditis, and just prior to death. Blood samples were submitted for aerobic and aero-anaerobic cultures, as well as for specific Bartonella isolation on fresh blood agar (5% defibrinated rabbit blood) (16). Serum was submitted for determination of Bartonella antibody titers and for detection of several tick-borne pathogens (Ehrlichia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi) and of Coxiella burnetii, a known agent of endocarditis in humans and animals.Similarly, on 22 June 2000, blood (0.5 to 2 ml) was collected aseptically from the external jugular vein of three cats from the household of origin for Bartonella culture and serology. A serum sample was also obtained from the dog's owner for possible detection of Bartonella antibodies.Tissue samples. Fragments of the aortic and pulmonic valves were frozen for PCR and electron microscopic examination and fixed in 10% buffered formalin for histology. After 24 h, formalin-fixed tissues were embedded in paraffin, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin or silver (Wa...

Serum Hp and SAA concentrations can be used to recognize uterine infection in postpartum cows. The association between elevated Hp values and number of days open suggests Hp may also be a useful indicator of poor prognosis for reproductive performance.