Does Feline leukemia virus pave the way for Bartonella henselae infection in cats?
Domestic cats serve as the reservoir hosts of Bartonella henselae and develop mild or no clinical symptoms after experimental infection. In humans, B. henselae infection can result in self-limiting cat scratch disease. However, immunocompromised patients may suffer from more severe courses of infection or even develop the potentially lethal bacillary angiomatosis. It was reasoned that cats with immunocompromising viral infections may react similarly to B. henselae infection. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of the most important viruses known to cause immunosuppression in cats, Feline leukemia virus (FeLV), Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), on natural B. henselae infection in cats. Accordingly, 142 cats from animal shelters were necropsied and tested for B. henselae and concurrent infections with FeLV, FIV or FPV by PCR and immunohistochemistry. A significant association between B. henselae and FeLV infection (P = 0.0028) was
