Background: During a two year period, a 27-year-old female veterinarian experienced migraine headaches, seizures, including status epilepticus, and other neurological and neurocognitive abnormalities. Prior to and during her illness, she had been actively involved in hospital-based work treating domestic animals, primarily cats and dogs, in Grenada and Ireland and anatomical research requiring the dissection of wild animals (including lions, giraffe, rabbits, mongoose, and other animals), mostly in South Africa. The woman reported contact with fleas, ticks, lice, biting flies, mosquitoes, spiders and mites and had also been scratched or bitten by dogs, cats, birds, horses, reptiles, rabbits and rodents. Prior diagnostic testing resulted in findings that were inconclusive or within normal reference ranges and no etiological diagnosis had been obtained to explain the patient’s symptoms.Methods: PCR assays targetingAnaplasmaspp.Bartonellaspp. and hemotopicMycoplasmaspp. were used to test patient blood samples. PCR positive amplicons were sequenced directly and compared to GenBank sequences. In addition,Bartonellaalpha Proteobacteria growth medium (BAPGM) enrichment blood culture was used to facilitate bacterial growth andBartonellaspp. serology was performed by indirect fluorescent antibody testing.Results: Anaplasma platys, Bartonella henselaeandCandidatusMycoplasma haematoparvum DNA was amplified and sequenced from the woman’s blood, serum or blood culture samples. Her serum was variably seroreactive to severalBartonellasp. antigens. Despite symptomatic improvement, six months of doxycycline most likely failed to eliminate theB. henselaeinfection, whereasA. platysandCandidatusM. haematoparvum DNA was no longer amplified from post-treatment samples.Conclusions: As is typical of many veterinary professionals, this individual had frequent exposure to arthropod vectors and near daily contact with persistently bacteremic reservoir hosts, including cats, the primary reservoir host forB. henselae,and dogs, the presumed primary reservoir host forA. platysandCandidatusMycoplasma haematoparvum. Physicians caring for veterinarians should be aware of the occupational zoonotic risks associated with the daily activities of these animal health professionals.

Veterinary Research, a journal on Animal Infection

PCR amplification targeting the 16S rRNA gene was used to test individuals with and without extensive arthropod and animal contact for the possibility of hemotropic mycoplasma infection. The prevalence of hemotropic mycoplasma infection (4.7%) was significantly greater in previously reported cohorts of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, spouses of veterinary professionals, and others with extensive arthropod exposure and/or frequent animal contact than in a previously reported cohort of patients examined by a rheumatologist because of chronic joint pain or evidence of small-vessel disease (0.7%). Based upon DNA sequence analysis, aMycoplasma ovis-like species was the most prevalent organism detected; however, infection with “CandidatusMycoplasma haematoparvum” and a potentially novel, but incompletely characterized, hemotropicMycoplasmaspecies was also documented. Historical exposure to animals and arthropod vectors that can harbor hemotropicMycoplasmaspp. should be considered during epidemiological investigations and in the evaluation of individual patients.