Aortic Valve Endocarditis in a Dog Due toBartonella clarridgeiae

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Abstract
We report the first documented case of endocarditis associated withBartonella clarridgeiaein any species.B. clarridgeiaewas identified as a possible etiological agent of human cat scratch disease. Infective vegetative valvular aortic endocarditis was diagnosed in a 2.5-year-old male neutered boxer. Historically, the dog had been diagnosed with a systolic murmur at 16 months of age and underwent balloon valvuloplasty for severe valvular aortic stenosis. Six months later, the dog was brought to a veterinary hospital with an acute third-degree atrioventricular block and was diagnosed with infective endocarditis. The dog died of cardiopulmonary arrest prior to pacemaker implantation. Necropsy confirmed severe aortic vegetative endocarditis. Blood culture grew a fastidious, gram-negative organism 8 days after being plated. Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the isolate, including partial sequencing of the citrate synthase (gltA) and 16S rRNA genes indicated that this organism wasB. clarridgeiae. DNA extraction from the deformed aortic valve and the healthy pulmonic valve revealed the presence ofB. clarridgeiaeDNA only from the diseased valve. NoBorrelia burgdorferiorEhrlichiasp. DNA could be identified. Using indirect immunofluorescence tests, the dog was seropositive forB. clarridgeiaeand had antibodies againstEhrlichia phagocytophilabut not againstEhrlichia canis, Ehrlichia ewingii,B. burgdorferi, orCoxiella burnetii.