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A “New” Germ I thought that I should complicate your life a bit so here’s a “new” disease for you to worry about: Bartonellosis. Bartonella sp. (20 different species are known to date) are bacteria that are transmitted from animal to animal by fleas, ticks, biting flies and lice. They can cause disease in many animals including wild rodents, deer, and pet animals. In people it causes “Cat Scratch Disease” (Ted Nugent calls it Cat Scratch Fever), “Trench Fever” and other diseases and can be transmitted from animal to man by bites, scratches, flea or tick bites, or even simple close contact. Cats are far more commonly infected than dogs, but dogs can be infected as demonstrated by a recent case in our hospital. The majority of cats become infected but remain healthy “carriers” for years or even occasionally for life. However, some cats develop long lasting “inflammatory” problems which can cause a wide variety of disease syndromes including chronic intestinal disease, eye disease, respiratory disease, mouth and gum disease, skin diseases, and others. Risk factors that make cats more likely to become infected are associated with flea exposure and are: originating as a stray, coming from a shelter or humane group, living in a multi cat household and going outdoors often. Infection can be diagnosed by a simple blood test though it’s not always clear that particular symptoms or disease are caused by that organism. Infected healthy or diseased pets (and humans) can be successfully treated with a number of well tolerated antibiotics.
The prevalence of infection in cats varies by geographic area and is highest in the south and southeastern states where fleas and ticks are most prevalent. In |
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