Cats may also harbor Bartonella clarridgeiae and (rarely) other Bartonella species. Cats become infected with Bartonella henselae from the bites of infected fleas ...SkipdirectlytositecontentSkipdirectlytopageoptionsSkipdirectlytoA-ZlinkBartonellaInfection(CatScratchDisease,TrenchFever,andCarrión’sDisease)SectionNavigationCDCHomeFacebookTwitterLinkedInSyndicateForVeterinariansMinusRelatedPagesDomesticpetsaresusceptibletoinfectionwithvariousspeciesofBartonellaandcanplayaroleinhumaninfection.Bartonellahenselaebacteremiahasbeendocumentedin30-40%ofdomesticandadoptedsheltercats.Kittensshowingevidenceofinfectionweremorelikelytohaveahighbacterialloadcomparedtoyoungadultcats.RatesofseropositivityforBartonellahenselaevarybyregion,with6%ofcatsshowingevidenceofexposureinIllinoiscomparedto33%inFlorida.CatsmayalsoharborBartonellaclarridgeiaeand(rarely)otherBartonellaspecies. Cats becomeinfectedwith Bartonellahenselaefromthebitesofinfectedfleasorcontactwithinfectedblood;catsinvolvedincatfightsorwhohavereceivedbloodtransfusionsaremoreatriskforinfection.DogsmaycarryBartonellavinsoniisubsp.berkhoffii,Bartonellahenselae,andotherBartonellaspecies. Bartonellainfectionismorelikelytocauseclinicalsymptomsindogscomparedtocats.LowseroprevalenceinworldwidedogpopulationssuggeststhatdogsareprobablynotanaturalreservoirforB.vinsoniiberkhoffii.Itisnotyetknownwhetherdogscantransmitinfectiontohumans.Inadditiontodogsandcats,numerousdomesticandwildanimals,includingbovine,canine,human,androdentspeciescanserveasreservoirhostsforvariousBartonellaspecies.ClinicalPresentationCatsNaturallyinfectedcatsareprimarilyasymptomatic,subclinicalcarriersofBartonellahenselae.B.henselaeinfectionsincats,alsoknownasfelinebartonellosis,mayoccasionallycauseaself-limiting,transient,febrileillnessthatlastsforapproximately48-72hours.Clinicalsymptomsofmoreseriousinfection,althoughrare,includefever,vomiting,lethargy,redeyes,swollenlymphnodes,and/ordecreasedappetite.Bacteremiacanpersistformonthswithclinicalsignsappearingwhenthe