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

Authors

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
Arnold G. Steigerwalt, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta
Don J. Brenner, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

1999

Comments

Published in JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY, 0095-1137/99/ Aug. 1999, p. 2598–2601 Vol. 37, No. 8

Abstract

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 substrates. 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.