Bartonella henselae is usually not viable in lymph nodes of patients with cat scratch disease

AbstractBartonella henselae, the agent of cat scratch disease (CSD), appears to be a common organism responsible for lymphadenitis in both adults and children. There is a very low isolation rate forB. henselae from lymph nodes of patients with CSD. Our objective was to evaluateB. henselae viability in a large series of lymph nodes from patients with CSD. From January to November 2016, we analyzed lymph node biopsy samples from patients diagnosed with CSD. We used reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to detectB. henselae RNA, as well as cultures, histological analyses, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We tested 87 lymph nodes positive forB. henselae DNA but only 8 (9%) presented withB. henselae RNA. We did not find a significant difference for thepap threshold cycle (CT) values between RNA-positive and RNA-negative lymph nodes (p = 0.5). Cultures, histological analyses, and FISH were negative for all the tested samples. We provide evidence thatB. henselae are not or are rarely viable in most cases in the lymph nodes of patients with CSD.
Source: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - Category: Microbiology Source Type: research