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Feline Hemotropic Mycoplasmosis

A blood infection in cats caused by Mycoplasma bacteria that attach to red blood cell membranes, leading to immune-mediated destruction of the cells.

Key Facts

The disease was formerly known as feline infectious anemia or Hemobartonella felis infection.
It is primarily caused by Mycoplasma haemofelis, with M. haemominutum and M. turicensis being smaller, less severe relatives.
Infection typically occurs through flea bites that transmit the bacteria to a new host.
The bacteria lack a cell wall and must live inside host cells, making them difficult to culture in standard laboratories.

Co-infection with FeLV can worsen the disease and promote severe bone marrow disorders or cancer.

The immune-mediated destruction of parasitized red blood cells directly causes a deficiency in circulating red blood cells.

Intracellular penetration is required to effectively eliminate the mycoplasma bacteria hiding within red blood cells.

The spleen's immune response to the attached mycoplasma organisms triggers the pathological destruction of host cells.

Preventing flea bites is the primary method to stop transmission of the mycoplasma organisms.