Aortic valve endocarditis due to Bartonella clarridgeiae in a dog in Brazil / Endocardite de válvula aórtica por Bartonella clarridgeiae em um cão no Brasil

Abstract We report the first documented case of endocarditis associated with Bartonella clarridgeiae in a dog in Latin America. Infective vegetative valvular aortic endocarditis was diagnosed in a 10-year-old male mixed breed dog. The dog presented grade V/VI systolic and diastolic murmur, hyperthermia, and progressive weight loss. Cardiomegaly and presence of diffuse alveolar pattern in the lung fields were observed in the thorax radiography evaluation. Irregular and hyperechogenic structures adhered to the aortic leaflets, causing obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract and severe aortic insufficiency, were observed in the echocardiography evaluation. A vegetative, whitish, hardened structure measuring 1.0 cm in diameter was observed in aortic semilunar valve at necropsy. Based on a combination of pre-enrichment insect-based medium liquid culture, quantitative real-time and conventional PCR assays based on nuoG and gltA genes, respectively, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic inferences, B. clarridgeiae DNA was detected in the patient's aortic valve lesions. Clinical, echocardiographic, anatomopathologic and molecular features supported the diagnosis of severe aortic vegetative endocarditis possibly caused by B. clarridgeiae in a dog in Brazil.

Resumo Relatamos o primeiro caso documentado de endocardite associada à Bartonella clarridgeiae em um cão na América Latina. Endocardite aórtica valvar vegetativa infecciosa foi diagnosticada em um cão sem raça definida de 10 anos de idade. O cão apresentou sopro sistólico e diastólico de grau V / VI, hipertermia e perda progressiva de peso. Cardiomegalia e presença de padrão alveolar difuso nos campos pulmonares foram observados na avaliação radiográfica do tórax. Estruturas irregulares e hiperecogênicas aderidas aos folhetos aórticos, causando obstrução da via de saída do ventrículo esquerdo e insuficiência aórtica grave, foram observadas na avaliação ecocardiográfica. À necropsia, foi observada uma estrutura vegetativa, esbranquiçada e endurecida medindo 1,0 cm de diâmetro na válvula semilunar aórtica. Por meio de uma combinação de cultura líquida baseada em meio de pré-enriquecimento de inseto, ensaios de PCR quantitativa em tempo real e convencional baseados nos genes nuoG e gltA, respectivamente, seguidos de sequenciamento e inferências filogenéticas, DNA de B. clarridgeiae foi detectado no tecido valvular lesionado do paciente. O diagnóstico de endocardite vegetativa aórtica grave, possivelmente causado por B. clarridgeiae em um cão no Brasil, foi apoiado por características clínicas, ecocardiográficas, anatomopatológicas e moleculares.

Molecular characterisation of Bartonella species in cats from São Luís, state of Maranhão, north-eastern Brazil

Bartonella species are fastidious bacteria that predominantly infect mammalian erythrocytes and endothelial cells and cause long-lasting bacteraemia in their reservoir hosts. Reports that describe the epidemiology of bartonellosis in Brazil are limited. This study aimed to detect and characterise Bartonella spp DNA from cat blood samples in São Luís, Maranhão, north-eastern Brazil. Among 200 cats tested for multiple genes, nine (4.5%) were positive for Bartonella spp: six cats for Bartonella henselae and three for Bartonella clarridgeiae. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of four genes, the B. henselae strain matched strains previously observed in Brazil and was positioned in the same clade as B. henselae isolates from the United States of America. Moreover, sequence alignment demonstrated that the B. clarridgeiae strain detected in the present study was the same as the one recently detected in cats from southern Brazil.