Detection of Bartonella bovis in a cattle herd in Italy

Currently, 20 Bartonella species have been described, with different reservoirs, host ranges and vectors ( Dehio 2004 ) In 2002, Bartonella bovis was recognised as a novel species, based on its phenotypic and biochemical characteristics, analysis of 16S r rna and citrate synthase gene sequences, and dna-dna hybridisation ( Bermond and others 2002 ). [...]B bovis has been reported only in cattle ( Breitschwerdt and others 2001 ) and cats ( Regnery and other 2000 ) in North America, cattle in France ( Bermond and others 2002 , Maillard and others 2006 ), and in zebu cattle (Bos indicus) in the Ivory Coast ( Raoult and others 2005 ). According to La Scola and others (2003) , the sequencing of multiple genes is a powerful tool for identifying Bartonella species.