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Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and Bartonella henselae as potential causes of proliferative vascular diseases in animals

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Abstract

Bartonella species are highly fastidious, vector borne, zoonotic bacteria that cause persistent intraerythrocytic bacteremia and endotheliotropic infection in reservoir and incidental hosts. Based upon prior in vitro research, three Bartonella sp., B. bacilliformis, B. henselae, and B. quintana can induce proliferation of endothelial cells, and each species has been associated with in vivo formation of vasoproliferative tumors in human patients. In this study, we report the molecular detection of B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, B. henselae, B. koehlerae, or DNA of two of these Bartonella species simultaneously in vasoproliferative hemangiopericytomas from a dog, a horse, and a red wolf and in systemic reactive angioendotheliomatosis lesions from cats and a steer. In addition, we provide documentation that B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii infections induce activation of hypoxia inducible factor-1 and production of vascular endothelial growth factor, thereby providing mechanistic evidence as to how these bacteria could contribute to the development of vasoproliferative lesions. Based upon these results, we suggest that a fourth species, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, should be added to the list of bartonellae that can induce vasoproliferative lesions and that infection with one or more Bartonella sp. may contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic reactive angioendotheliomatosis and hemangiopericytomas in animals.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Kellye S. Joiner, DVM, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathobiology, Auburn University, Auburn Alabama for providing the hemangiopericytoma tissue block from the mare, Ms. Sherry Samuels, Animal Department Director, Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC and Dr. Steve Rushton, Rollins Diagnostic Laboratory, Raleigh, NC for providing the hemangiopericytoma tissue block from the wolf, and Dr. Melanie A. Breshears, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater OK for providing tissue blocks from the steer with SRA. The authors also thank Linda Stolz (Frankfurt) for expert technical support. This research was supported in part by Bayer Animal Health and the State of North Carolina.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Krankenhaushygiene, Universitätsklinikum, Goethe-Universität, Paul Ehrlich Str. 40, 60596, Frankfurt, Germany

    Christiane Beerlage & Volkhard A. J. Kempf

  2. Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory, Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Dr., Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA

    Mrudula Varanat, Keith Linder, Ricardo G. Maggi & Edward B. Breitschwerdt

  3. College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, USA

    Jim Cooley

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  1. Christiane Beerlage
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  2. Mrudula Varanat
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  3. Keith Linder
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  4. Ricardo G. Maggi
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  5. Jim Cooley
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  6. Volkhard A. J. Kempf
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  7. Edward B. Breitschwerdt
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Correspondence to Volkhard A. J. Kempf or Edward B. Breitschwerdt.

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Beerlage, C., Varanat, M., Linder, K. et al. Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and Bartonella henselae as potential causes of proliferative vascular diseases in animals. Med Microbiol Immunol 201, 319–326 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-012-0234-5

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