Prevalence of Bartonella henselae immunoglobulin G antibodies in Singaporean cats.

Bartonella henselae causes several clinical diseases in humans. The most common infection is the classical cat-scratch disease (CSD) occurring in immunocompetent and immunocompromised children exposed to newly acquired kittens. This is the first study of B. henselae infection in Singaporean cat population. Indirect fluorescent antibody tests were carried out on cat sera obtained from 80 cat blood samples. Of the cats studied in this project 47.5% tested seropositive, with high IgG titers (> or =1024) in 31 of 38 seropositive cats, 60.5% of which were males. Males cats had higher rates of infection than female cats. Serologic studies of cats in different parts of the United States have indicated that the prevalence of IgG antibody to B. henselae in cats is highest in regions with warm, humid climates and lowest in areas with cool, dry climates. The indirect fluorescent antibody test data for B. henselae infection in Singapore cats support this contention.