Isolation of a New Subspecies, Bartonella Vinsonii Subsp

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease Wildlife Disease and Zoonotics

1999

David F. Welch University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Karen C. Carroll University of Utah Medical Center

Erick K. Hofmeister Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Foundation

David H. Persing Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Foundation

Denise A. Robison University Hospitals, Oklahoma City

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Welch, David F.; Carroll, Karen C.; Hofmeister, Erick K.; Persing, David H.; Robison, Denise A.; Steigerwalt, Arnold G.; and Brenner, Don J., "Isolation of a New Subspecies, Bartonella vinsonii subsp. arupensis, from a Cattle Rancher: Identity with Isolates Found in Conjunction with Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti among Naturally Infected Mice" (1999). Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease. 95. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zoonoticspub/95

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Wildlife Disease and Zoonotics at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors David F. Welch, Karen C. Carroll, Erick K. Hofmeister, David H. Persing, Denise A. Robison, Arnold G. Steigerwalt, and Don J. Brenner

This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ zoonoticspub/95 JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY, Aug. 1999, p. 2598–2601 Vol. 37, No. 8 0095-1137/99/$04.00ϩ0 Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Isolation of a New Subspecies, Bartonella vinsonii subsp. arupensis, from a Cattle Rancher: Identity with Isolates Found in Conjunction with Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti among Naturally Infected Mice DAVID F. WELCH,1,2* KAREN C. CARROLL,3 ERIK K. HOFMEISTER,4 DAVID H. PERSING,4 5 6 6 DENISE A. ROBISON, ARNOLD G. STEIGERWALT, AND DON J. BRENNER Laboratory Corporation of America, Dallas, Texas 752301; Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 752352; Associated and Regional University Pathologists, Inc., and Department of Pathology, University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 841083; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 559054; Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, University Hospitals, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 731265; and Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch, Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 303336

Received 8 February 1999/Returned for modiﬁcation 15 March 1999/Accepted 4 May 1999

Bacteremia with fever due to a novel subspecies of Bartonella vinsonii was found in a cattle rancher. The subspecies shared major characteristics of the genus Bartonella in terms of most biochemical features and cellular fatty acid proﬁle, but it was distinguishable from other subspecies of B. vinsonii by good growth on heart infusion agar supplemented with X factor and by its pattern of enzymatic hydrolysis of peptide sub- strates. DNA relatedness studies veriﬁed that the isolate belonged to the genus Bartonella and that it was genotypically related to B. vinsonii. The highest level of relatedness was observed with recently characterized strains from naturally infected mice that were coinfected with Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti.We propose the name Bartonella vinsonii subsp. arupensis subsp. nov. as the new subspecies to accommodate these human and murine isolates.

Bartonella vinsonii was described as the Canadian vole agent CASE REPORT in 1946 by Baker (1). It was further characterized by Weiss and Dasch (17), who proposed the name Rochalimaea vinsonii in Case history. The patient is a 62-year-old Caucasian male 1982. The members of the genus Rochalimaea were then re- who was admitted in May 1994 to a community hospital in classified as Bartonella spp. on the basis of DNA relatedness Wyoming with acute onset of confusion, difficulty in walking, and 16S rRNA sequence data by Brenner and coworkers in and facial numbness. The patient had been well 48 h prior to 1993 (5). B. vinsonii has not heretofore been implicated in hu- admission. He is a rancher by occupation, and he had been very man disease, although a subspecies (Bartonella vinsonii subsp. active ranching and irrigating in the days prior to the onset of berkhoffii) causing canine endocarditis was recently described symptoms. Two days prior to admission he developed some (3, 11). low-grade “warm and cold” feelings and fatigue. He also ex- The characterization of novel Bartonella species and subspe- perienced some dizziness, characterized as a feeling of insta- cies continues (2, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13). A study originally intended bility when walking and doing chores. A mild headache and to determine the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia myalgias, but no stiffness or photophobia, were also reported. microti, and Ehrlichia species in Minnesota and Wisconsin He took aspirin and ibuprofen for these symptoms. On the day mice identified, instead of any animals infected with Ehrlichia of admission, his legs “got stiff,” and he fell when trying to get spp., four Bartonella-infected animals by using Ehrlichia PCR up from a seated position while branding cattle. He was noted primers (9). Analysis of the citrate synthase gene sequence of to have slurred speech and to be confused. There was no one of the isolates showed that it was most closely related to B. evidence of seizure activity. The pulse was rapid and irregular. No other symptoms were reported. vinsonii. Prior to that report, our laboratory received an isolate The medical history is significant for an ill-defined rheuma- from the blood culture of a Wyoming man which we confirmed tologic disease characterized by a high positive antinuclear as B. vinsonii. In light of these two findings, we were led to antibody level, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, posi- compare the human isolate and the isolates from nature for tive rheumatoid factor, Sjo¨gren’s syndrome, and polyneurop- DNA relatedness as well as to describe the Wyoming man’s athy, diagnosed in 1960 after a lengthy hospitalization in Cal- case and the isolate itself. ifornia. The rheumatologic syndrome is also characterized by variable neurological manifestations, including aseptic meningitis. Relapses are managed by high-dose intravenous steroids. In 1987 he was treated with prednisone for a presumed relapse * Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory Corporation of vasculitis when he presented with vertigo, headache, and of America, 7777 Forest Ln., Suite C-350, Dallas, TX 75230. Phone: numbness of the hands. Between exacerbations, he is relatively (972) 566-3268. Fax: (972) 566-6639. E-mail: [email protected] asymptomatic, and he does not require long-term steroid ther- .com. apy.

2598 VOL. 37, 1999 NEW SUBSPECIES OF BARTONELLA VINSONII 2599

TABLE 1. DNA relatedness of strain OK 94-513 to Bartonella strainsa

B. vinsonii subsp. vinsonii OK 94-513 Bartonella strain 95 0726 14a Source of unlabeled DNA ATCC VR-152 % R at 55°C % D % R at 70°C % R at 55°C % D % R at 70°C % R at 55°C % D % R at 70°C

OK 94-513 100 0.0