Bartonella – The Major Threat You’ve Never Heard Of
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By Sue M. Copeland
“I tell my veterinary students that, unless another infectious disease comes along that we don’t yet know about, such as covid-19 did in humans, Bartonella will cause them more problems in their careers than anything else.”
That quote is from Edward Breitschwerdt, DVM, DACVIM, Melanie S. Steele Professor of Medicine and Infectious Disease at North Carolina State University (NCSU) College of Veterinary Medicine. He’s been studying the bacteria for 30 years.
“Wait, what?” you ask. “What the heck is Bartonella?”
It’s an emerging threat that research is showing can be associated with potentially fatal conditions in your dog—and you.
Dr. Breitschwerdt should know: the bacteria infected his father 12 years ago. “If it didn’t directly cause his death,” he explains, “it certainly helped cause it.” (See, “It’s Personal,” at page 314.)
SH: THE ABC’S OF BARTONELLA
What it is: A Gram-negative bacteria that causes a disease called Bartonellosis. An ancient pathogen, it has existed for thousands of years. Yet prior to 1990, there was only one named Bartonella species. Thanks to research by Dr. Breitschwerdt and others, there now are 40 named species, of which 17 have been associated with an expanding spectrum of disease in dogs and humans, as well as other mammals.
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