An unmatched case controlled study of clinicopathologic abnormalities in dogs with Bartonella infection

Abstract We compared clinicopathologic findings in dogs with Bartonella infection to Bartonella spp. negative dogs suspected of a vector-borne disease. Cases ( n = 47) and controls ( n = 93) were selected on the basis of positive or negative enrichment culture PCR results, respectively. Signalment, clinicopathologic findings and treatments were extracted from medical records. DNA sequencing identified Bartonella henselae ( n = 28, 59.6%), Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii ( n = 20, 42.6%), Bartonella koehlerae ( n = 3, 6.4%), Bartonella volans -like ( n = 3, 6.4%) and Bartonella bovis ( n = 1, 2.1%). There were no significant differences in age, breed, size, sex or neuter status between cases and controls. Dogs infected with Bartonella sp. often had a history of weight loss [OR = 2.82; 95% CI: 1.08–7.56] and were hypoglobulinemic [OR = 4.26; 95% CI: 1.31–14.41]. With the exception of weight loss and hypoglobulinemia, clinicopathologic abnormalities in Bartonella -infected dogs in this study were similar to dogs suspected of other vector-borne infections.