Bartonella henselae
Consistent with O. Reg. 671/92 of the French Language Services Act, laboratory testing information on this page is only available in English because it is scientific or technical in nature and is for use only by qualified health care providers and not by members of the public.
Specimen Requirements
Test Requested | Required Requisition(s) | Specimen Type | Minimum Volume | Collection Kit |
Bartonella or Cat Scratch Disease |
Serum |
1.0 ml |
Vacutainer tubes (SST) |
|
Bartonella or Cat Scratch Disease |
Blood, clotted |
5.0 ml |
Vacutainer tubes (SST) |
Submission and Collection Notes
Testing of patients with appropriate clinical history will increase specificity as B. henselae appears to be the predominant cause of Cat Scratch Disease. Ensure the following fields of the General Test Requisition are completed if diagnostic testing is requested:
- Clinical symptoms
- Exposure (e.g. animal contact)
- Onset date
Timing of Specimen Collection
An acute (collected early after the onset of symptoms) and a convalescent (collected 3-6 weeks later) may be required for laboratory diagnosis.
Limitations
Haemolysed, icteric, lipemic or microbially contaminated sera or plasma are not recommended for testing.
Storage and Transport
Label the specimen container with the patient’s full name, date of collection and one other unique identifier such as the patient’s date of birth or Health Card Number. Failure to provide this information may result in rejection or testing delay.
Special Instructions
Specimens should be stored at 2-8°C following collection and shipped to PHOL on ice packs.
Test Frequency and Turnaround Time (TAT)
Bartonella henselae testing is performed once per week.
Turnaround time is up to 10 days from receipt by the PHO Laboratory.
Bartonella henselae serology test for IgG is performed using Indirect Fluorescent antibody (IFA) test.
Patients exposed to other Bartonella species may show considerable cross reactivity.
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