Along the way, they have created a diagnostic tool. Using a technique known as in situ hybridization, researchers showed that a small gene fragment, which they had identified earlier, linked positively to H. felis located on red blood cells taken from experimentally infected cats. For years they were thought to be rickettsial, but our laboratory and at least two other laboratories now show that they are not rickettsial. They are mycoplasma organisms. Rickettsia is a disease-causing intracellular parasitic bacterium whose transmission has been linked to fleas, ticks, mice and lice.
Mycoplasma organisms are tough, evasive bacteria that lack a cell wall.
They are the smallest free-living cells known to exist, however their carrier remains unknown. For years, suspected cases of FIA have been treated with antibiotics. Even if symptoms disappear, the organism remains present. The UI technique will help veterinarians better grasp the scope of FIA infection. It also will help researchers find the carrier and identify risk factors associated with chronic infection.