Prevalence of Bartonella henselae immunoglobulin G antibodies in Singaporean cats

Background. Bartonella henselae causes several clinical diseases in humans. The most common infection is the classical cat-scratch disease (CSD) occur ring in immunocompetent and immunocompromised children exposed to newly acq uired kittens. This is the first study of B. henselae infection in Singapor ean cat population, Methods. Indirect fluorescent antibody tests were carried out on cat sera o btained from 80 cat blood samples. Results, Of the cats studied in this project 47.5% tested seropositive, wit h high IgG titers (greater than or equal to 1024) in 31 of 38 seropositive cats, 60.5% of which were males. Conclusions. Males cats had higher rates of infection than female cats. Ser ologic studies of cats in different parts of the United States have indicat ed 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 clima tes. The indirect fluorescent antibody test data for B. henselae infection in Singapore cats support this contention.