Microarray for serotyping of Bartonella species

We have developed a novel multiple antigenic microarray to serotype Bartonella strains and to select poly and monoclonal antibodies. It was validated using mouse polyclonal antibodies against 29 Bartonella strains. We then tested the microarray for serotyping of Bartonella strains and defining the profile of monoclonal antibodies.Bartonella strains gave a strong positive signal and all were correctly identified. Screening of monoclonal antibodies towards the Gro EL protein of B. clarridgeiae identified 3 groups of antibodies, which were observed with variable affinities against Bartonella strains.We demonstrated that microarray of spotted bacteria can be a practical tool for serotyping of unidentified strains or species (and also for affinity determination) by polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. This could be used in research and for identification of bacterial strains.Within the last 15 years, several bacteria of the genus Bartonella were recognized as zoonotic agents in humans and isolated from various mammalian reservoirs. Pets represent a large reservoir for human infection, including exotic pets, because most Bartonella spp. infecting them are zoonotic. Cats are the main reservoir for Bartonella henselae, B. clarridgeiae, and B. koehlerae. Dogs can be infected with B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae, B. washoensis, B. elizabethae, and B. quintana [1,2]. Members of the genus Bartonella have historically been connected with human diseases, such as cat-scratch disease, trench fever, and Carrion's disease, and recently, have also been recognized as emerging pathogens causing other clinical manifestations in humans [3]. It has been shown that Bartonella spp. alone may cause 3% of all cases of infectious endocarditis. Endocarditis is a life-threatening disease, for which a favourable rapid etiological diagnosis must be made as early as possible [4]. Trench fever, a louse-borne disease caused by Bartonella quintana, was reportedly reemerging