SEROEPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF BARTONELLA (ROCHALIMAEA) HENSELAE IN DOMESTIC CATS IN JAPAN

A total of 199 domestic cat serum samples from 3 geographical areas (northeastern, central and southwestern) of Japan collected between 1992 to 1994 were examined for serum antibody against Bartonella henselae using an immunofluorescent assay. The antibody prevalence was 15.1% (30/199). A significant difference in the prevalence of B. henselae antibody was observed between the northeastern area (6.3%:3/48) and the central area (22.0%:13/59) in Japan. There was no significant difference between the average age of seropositive cats (4.39+/-3.26 years) and that of seronegative cats (4.03+/-3.84 years), and also between the frequency of seropositive male cats (16.5%:15/91) and that of seropositive female cats (11.8%:9/76). This is the first report of B. henselae antibodies in cats in Japan.