FELINE INFECTIOUS ANEMIA
(also called "Feline Hemotropic Mycoplasmosis" or infection by Hemobartonella felis, or
Parasitic organisms survive by attaching themselves to a host and using
FELINE INFECTIOUS ANEMIA
(also called "Feline Hemotropic Mycoplasmosis" or infection by Hemobartonella felis, or
Parasitic organisms survive by attaching themselves to a host and using the host's body to thrive, generally at the host's expense. Parasites find themselves protected from the harsh temperature and moisture changes of the external world when they live within the rich, warm body of their host. The parasites this article is concerned with are special bacteria that attach themselves to the actual red blood cell membranes of their host, happily riding around, feeding and reproducing until the host's immune system sees them and begins destroying red blood cells in an attempt to remove them.
Mycoplasma Haemofelis (formerly named Hemobartonella felis) and its smaller relatives
The agent of what has traditionally been called "feline infectious anemia" is an organism called Mycoplasma haemofelis." This creature is technically a bacterium but is a member of a special group of bacteria called "mycoplasmas." Mycoplasmas are different from other bacteria because they do not have a cell wall surrounding and protecting their microscopic bodies. They cannot be cultured in the lab like normal bacteria because they must reside inside living cells. This feature not only makes finding them a little tricky but it also limits treatment to antibiotics that can penetrate inside of a hosting cell.
This graphic shows a number of red blood cells parasitized by Mycoplasma haemofelis.
The term "feline infectious anemia" has also recently been felt to be inaccurate as there are many infectious organisms that might cause an anemia (lack of red blood cells). For this reason the disease itself has been re-named "Feline Hemotropic Mycoplasmosis" which literally means a blood infection of mycoplasma organisms in cats.
Hemobartonella felis, as it was then called, was first discovered in Africa in 1942 but it was not recognized as a mycoplasma until recently with the advent of gene sequencing. This has led to a renaming of Hemobartonella felis to Mycoplasma haemofelis, though after decades of celebrity under the original name many veterinarians will still refer to "Hemobart." Complicating matters further, gene sequencing has revealed two additional species, previously thought to be variants of Hemobartonella felis. These parasites, which are smaller, have been named 