Abstract Introduction The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in cats in eastern Poland, and to determine the factors associated with the infection. Material and Methods PCRs were performed to detect Bartonella DNA in the whole blood of 672 cats from four regions in eastern Poland (the Lublin, Podlasie, Masovian, and Subcarpathian provinces). The association between the previously selected variables and the dependent variable (presence of Bartonella DNA) was investigated using a logistic regression model. Results The overall prevalence of infection was 40.48%. All PCR positive cats were infected with B. henselae. The living conditions of the animals (free outdoor roaming), mixed breed cats, Subcarpathian region, and absence of tick control were significant risk factors associated with Bartonella infection at a 95% confidence level. Conclusion Cats in eastern Poland appear to be at risk of a bartonellosis epizootic. Factors which seem to impact the likelihood of infection in cats and factors which seem not to impact it have been suggested. We advocate additional research into the ways bartonellosis spreads, its geographical scope, and the factors that favour its development.

中文翻译：

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波兰东部猫巴尔通体感染流行情况

摘要 简介 本研究的目的是确定巴尔通体的流行情况。在波兰东部的猫中，并确定与感染相关的因素。材料和方法 进行 PCR 以检测来自波兰东部四个地区（卢布林、波德拉谢、马索维亚和喀尔巴阡山下省）的 672 只猫的全血中的巴尔通体 DNA。使用逻辑回归模型研究了先前选择的变量和因变量（巴尔通体 DNA 的存在）之间的关联。结果总感染率为40.48%。所有 PCR 阳性的猫都感染了 B. henselae。动物的生活条件（免费户外漫游）、混种猫、喀尔巴阡山脉地区、在 95% 的置信水平上，没有蜱控制是与巴尔通体感染相关的重要风险因素。结论 波兰东部的猫似乎有患巴尔通体病流行的风险。已经提出了似乎影响猫感染可能性的因素和似乎不影响它的因素。我们提倡对巴尔通体病的传播方式、地理范围以及有利于其发展的因素进行更多研究。