Seroepidemiology of Bartonella vinsonii subsp berkhoffii exposure among healthy dogs

Objective To determine seroprevalence of antibodies to Bartonella vinsonii subsp berkhoffii and risk factors for seropositivity among working dogs own ed by the US government. Design-Cross-sectional study. Animals-1,872 dogs. Procedure-An ELISA was used to detect antibodies to B vinsonii subsp berkho ffii. Results-Antibodies to B vinsonii subsp berkhoffii were detected in 162 dogs (8.7%; 95% confidence interval, 7.4 to 10.0%). Dogs living in the southeas t, plains states, southwest, and south-central were significantly more like ly to be seropositive than were dogs living in other regions of the United States. German Shepherd-type dogs were significantly less likely to be sero positive than were dogs of other breeds, and dogs entering training program s or that had been rejected from a training program were significantly more likely to be seropositive than were dogs used for narcotics detection and dogs trained to patrol or detect explosives. Dogs used by the border patrol or Federal Aviation Administration were more likely to be seropositive tha n were dogs used by the Department of Defense or customs service. Odds that dogs would be seropositive were significantly higher for dogs stationed in the southern United States, the northeastern United States, or a foreign c ountry, compared with dogs stationed in all other regions of the United Sta tes. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Overall, 8.7% of this diverse group of h ealthy dogs was found to be seropositive for antibodies to B vinsonii subsp berkfoffi, and seropositivity rates were associated with location, suggest ing either that there are multiple vectors for the organism or that the maj or vector for the organism depends on geographic and environmental factors.