Prevalence of Canine Infectious Endocarditis and Possible Association with Bartonella spp. in Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

Infectious endocarditis (IE) is a heart valve or endocardial disease. Bartonella spp. are considered one of the causes of IE. The objective was to study the prevalence of canine IE in Bangkok, Thailand with an emphasis on Bartonella spp. infections. A review of the reports between January 1999 to December 2009 of 3,545 necropsied dogs was performed. Cardiac tissue blocks from 11 dogs were studied for the presence of eubacterial DNA and Bartonella spp. DNA by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and for Bartonella spp. DNA by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR).The prevalence of canine IE was 0.65%. The cardiac tissues from 2 of 11 dogs were positive for eubacteria DNA by FISH. None of the dogs was positive for Bartonella spp. by FISH or conventional PCR. The prevalence of canine IE was low in this population and Bartonella spp. DNA was not detected in any dog tested with these techniques.