Infection of Fetal Feline Brain Cells in Culture withBartonella henselae

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Abstract
Bartonella henselaeis known to cause central nervous system (CNS) disease in humans, and neurological signs have been observed in experimentally infected cats. However, the pathogenesis of CNS disease remains unclear. This study was undertaken to determine whetherB. henselaeinfects feline fetal brain cells in vitro. Microglial-cell- and astrocyte-enriched cultures were inoculated withB. henselae. Giménez staining identified bacterial organisms within microglial cells by day 7 postinoculation. The viability of the intracellular bacteria was demonstrated by incubating cultures with gentamicin and plating cell lysate on agar. Electron microscopy identified intracellular organisms with characteristicBartonellamorphology but identified no ultrastructural abnormalities within infected microglial cells. No evidence of infection was seen inBartonella-inoculated astrocyte cultures. These findings suggest a role for microglia in the pathogenesis ofB. henselae-associated neurological disease.
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