Distribution and Diversity of Bartonella washoensis Strains in Ground Squirrels from California and Their Potential Link to Human Cases.

We investigated the prevalence of Bartonella washoensis in California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) and their fleas from parks and campgrounds located in seven counties of California. Ninety-seven of 140 (69.3%) ground squirrels were culture positive and the infection prevalence by location ranged from 25% to 100%. In fleas, 60 of 194 (30.9%) Oropsylla montana were found to harbor Bartonella spp. when screened using citrate synthase (gltA) specific primers, whereas Bartonella DNA was not found in two other flea species, Hoplopsyllus anomalus (n = 86) and Echidnophaga gallinacea (n = 6). The prevalence of B. washoensis in O. montana by location ranged from 0% to 58.8%. A majority of the gltA sequences (92.0%) recovered from ground squirrels and fleas were closely related (similarity 99.4-100%) to one of two previously described strains isolated from human patients, B. washoensis NVH1 (myocarditis case in Nevada) and B. washoensis 08S-0475 (meningitis case in California). The results from this study support the supposition that O. beecheyi and the flea, O. montana, serve as a vertebrate reservoir and a vector, respectively, of zoonotic B. washoensis in California.

Coexistence of Bartonella henselae and B. clarridgeiae in populations of cats and their fleas in Guatemala.

Cats and their fleas collected in Guatemala were investigated for the presence of Bartonella infections. Bartonella bacteria were cultured from 8.2% (13/159) of cats, and all cultures were identified as B. henselae. Molecular analysis allowed detection of Bartonella DNA in 33.8% (48/142) of cats and in 22.4% (34/152) of cat fleas using gltA, nuoG, and 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer targets. Two Bartonella species, B. henselae and B. clarridgeiae, were identified in cats and cat fleas by molecular analysis, with B. henselae being more common than B. clarridgeiae in the cats (68.1%; 32/47 vs 31.9%; 15/47). The nuoG was found to be less sensitive for detecting B. clarridgeiae compared with other molecular targets and could detect only two of the 15 B. clarridgeiae-infected cats. No significant differences were observed for prevalence between male and female cats and between different age groups. No evident association was observed between the presence of Bartonella species in cats and in their fleas.

Evaluation of the effects of methadone and tramadol on postoperative analgesia and serum interleukin-6 in dogs undergoing orthopaedic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Acute postsurgical pain is of great interest due to potential risk of becoming chronic if not treated properly, worsening patient's recovery and quality of life. Twenty-eight dogs with ruptured cruciate ligaments were divided into three groups that received intramuscular injections of 4 mg/kg of tramadol (TRA), 0.5 mg/kg of methadone (MET0.5), or 0.7 mg/kg of methadone (MET0.7). Physiological parameters (heart and respiratory rates and blood pressure) were evaluated at specified times: baseline (TBL), 1 (T1), 2 (T2), 4 (T4), 6 (T6), and 24 (T24) hours after premedication. Pain scores were described by visual analogue scale (VAS), modified Glasgow Composite, and Colorado University Acute Pain scales. Blood samples for measurement of interleukin (IL)-6 were collected at TBL, T1, T6, and T24. This was a prospective, randomised investigation to evaluate the efficacy of tramadol and methadone as premedications in dogs undergoing osteotomies. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between groups with respect to age, weight, gender, surgery time, and time to extubation. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure values were maintained within acceptable ranges, and a reduction was observed at T2 in MET0.5 and MET0.7 compared with TBL. Increases in VAS scores were observed in TRA at T4 compared with TBL, T1, and T24 and between T1 and T6 (p < 0.001). In MET0.5, there was significant increase in VAS score at T4 compared with T1 (p < 0.001). TRA and MET0.5 showed significantly higher mean ± SD VAS scores (3.4 ± 2.5 and 2.5 ± 2.6, respectively) than MET0.7 (1.1 ± 1.5) at T4 (p < 0.001). TRA showed greater demand of rescue analgesia (four animals in T4 and two in T6) (p < 0.037). There were no statistically significant differences in sedation scores, Colorado Scale scores, or interleukin levels between groups and time points. CONCLUSIONS: Methadone given as premedication in doses of 0.7 mg/kg was better at controlling pain compared with lower doses and tramadol. However, dosage increases, administered as rescue analgesia, promoted adequate pain control even in tramadol group. Influence of these analgesics on IL-6 release could not be demonstrated, but significant levels were not found.