Bartonella species, a genus of gram-negative bacteria with zoonotic potential, are associated with a wide spectrum of life-threatening diseases in dogs. More than 10 Bartonellaspecies have been implicated in association with serious diseases in dogs, including endocarditis, myocarditis, peliosis hepatis, granulomatous hepatitis, lymphadenitis, hemangiosarcoma, vasculitis, panniculitis, polyarthritis, uveitis, meningitis, and others. Despite recent advances in diagnostic technology for canine bartonelloses, currently available molecular (qPCR, dPCR), culture, and serological based assays lack sensitivity for a diagnosis of Bartonella infection in dogs.Bartonella spp.. infections in dogs throughout the United States pose a serious threat to dogs, and public health, because of an increased risk of transmission from dogs to humans via direct contact with infected fluids, via arthropod vectors, and potentially, through bites. There is an increasingly urgent need for the development of a reliable serodiagnostic assay, as well as for effective strategies to prevent canine bartonelloses.

As the most frequent species infecting dogs and humans, identification of Bartonella henselae B-cell and T-cell epitopes will be key to the development of diagnostic reagents and a vaccine to both clinically manage and prevent canine bartonelloses. The investigators will employ immunoproteomic approaches to identify Bartonella henselae immunodominant peptides available for B-cell and T-cell recognition, which will allow the team to evaluate their potential as immunological markers and immunogens for canine bartonelloses. This proposed study will 1) result in the development of a reliable ELISA assay for diagnosing Bartonella infection in dogs and 2) provide essential insights into the Bartonella proteins that should rationally constitute T-cell targets in first-generation vaccines to prevent Bartonella infection in dogs.