MURINE MODEL OF BARTONELLA-HENSELAE INFECTION IN THE IMMUNOCOMPETENT HOST

Bartonella henselae is an emerging pathogen causing cat scratch diseas e, bacillary angiomatosis, and peliosis hepatis. Progress in understan ding the pathogenesis of and the immune response to these infections h as been limited by the lack of an animal model. Following intraperiton eal infection of C57BL/6 mice with B. henselae, organs were cleared of cultivatable bacteria within 6 days. In contrast, B. henselae DNA cou ld be detected in liver tissue for at least 3 months. Liver tissue sho wed granulomatous inflammation reaching its highest degree of intensit y during the fourth week of infection and resolving within 12 weeks po stinfection. This mouse model is applicable to the study of the pathog enesis of B. henselae and the immune response to this pathogen in the immunocompetent host.