Transient myocardial thickening in a cat positive for Bartonella spp.: Case report

Abstract

A two-year-old, mixed-breed cat was attended for his lack of appetite and apathy. Physical examination revealed tachypnea, fever and heart murmur. The animal also had intense puliciosis and had historical of free access to the street. The echocardiographic examination showed myocardial thickening in the left ventricle. From a blood sample, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect Bartonella spp. with a positive result. The rapid test (ELISA) was also performed for the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FELV), both of which are negative. The cat was treated for 30 days with doxycycline (10 mg/kg, VO, BID), showing good recovery. After 1 year and 4 months of the end of treatment, a new echocardiogram was performed and revealed a normal thickness left ventricle, which suggests that the cat had a transient myocardial thickening (EMT), due to probable inflammatory cardiomyopathy, due to Bartonella spp. infection. Bartonellosis, despite being a disease little investigated in the clinical routine, needs to be taken into account in the differential diagnosis in young cats with myocardial thickening, especially in those with compatible clinical signs.