Bartonella & gingivitis -- experiences?

Both of my cats are young (Spider is 1 1/2 and Stewie is only 8 months), and both recently developed clear cases of gingivitis despite having no plaque build-up. My vet tested for bartonella, and Stewie (whose gums are the worst) tested positive.  So I'm about to start both of them on a month-long round of antibiotics, even though Spider's test was negative. I'm hoping that this will reverse (or subue) the gum problems. 

I read some previous threads here, and a number of members reported great success, at least in the short-term.  I'd love to hear from anyone who's been through this to determine what to expect in the long-term--i.e., in people's experience, does erradicating the bartonella reverse the gum problems, or do those problems still resurface regardless.  In other words, if bartonella was the cause of the gingivitus, is it the equivalent of a symptom that goes away with the bartonella?  Or is it a disease that, once triggered, stays with the cat.  I'm worried because the general commentary I've read suggests that gingivits (at least the chronic kind) can't be cured, only managed.  And there seems to be a lot of disagreement among vets about bartonella's role in gum disease.  For example, one vet published this:  "Researchers can say it until they're blue in the face: Bartonella does not play a role in chronic gingivitis/stomatitis in cats, and yet, there are ill-informed vets who still perpetuate this inaccurate information."

I figure the best source would be straight fom the "cat's mouth", so to speak.  Anybody have any experiences?

Hi there, and welcome to Spider and Stewie.  I will start with saying my daft boy is currently a healthy, very bouncy cat who will turn 3 in February.    He also had severe gingivitis, stomatitis, and tonsillitis when he was about Stewie's age and was plagued with it for many months.  He was very sick and experienced a lot of pain-  most of which was because I was stupid and thought he was unhappy not sick.  He had 3 lots of antibiotics and pain relief in addition to having started a rigorous dental care routine from the start of his first course of antibiotics (once his oral pain had subsided) but things started to settle by the time he was about 18 months. He has scarring in his mouth but all his teeth and he likes to show off how sharp they are.   

He has never had a chance to build up plaque but it is really striking how quickly tartar is evident on his teeth, and we have a regular twice daily brushing with enzyme toothpaste plus strict prescription TD dental food.  He loves his TD biscuits, suitably like kitty junk food for him to love the taste of, and big and round so spectacularly good for throwing and being chased after before crunching on - which leaves me with a lot of cleaning up to do. But hey, happy kitty happy human!  The toothpaste is hilarious, from day one he's loved it, he thinks it's a treat and will come running the minute he hears me pick up the tube and go 'tooth time'!  Jumps up on the counter and looks at me waiting for the little blue finger brush to come out so he can chew my finger.       OK, if I miss the brushing for a day, or he gets more than his allotted 6 100% freeze dried fish snacks and a tiny spoonful of wet food a day his gums will look red around the edges but other than this he hasn't needed any additional vet care for his mouth for about 18 months.

From other health issues (persistent runny eyes that started about 6 months after the gums settled) the vets eventually concluded that my boy has feline herpes virus and this was probably the underlying cause for his mouth problems.  He is healthy but obviously has a compromised immune system so I know I have to keep him well, manage stress levels for him, and maintain his oral hygiene as an ongoing commitment.  He was never tested for bartonella but as he was never outdoors that would seem unlikely for him.  

As you say, evidence seems to be out on the role of bartonella on stomatitis and gum disease, but there are plenty of views on best management. Like you, when Mouse was first diagnosed I read everything and then I panicked, thought the worst and imagined he would have most or all of his teeth extracted within the first couple of years of his life and unknown likelihood of ongoing pain. All the articles seem to predict the worst. That is not always the outcome so follow the advice of your vet, and take up the best oral hygiene routine that you can, very gently introducing tooth brushing if his mouth and gums are still sore and build it up with a view to it being something he enjoys, not gets stressed by.

I've attached a couple of articles here, one that has a fairly open mind on the role of Bartonella, and another which is more about the recent approaches to aggressive treatments for stomatitis where it has been unresponsive to first / second stage treatments.  There are plenty of site users with experience with stomatitis and gingivitis but the discussion on role of Bartonella is an interesting addition.

http://www.virginiaveterinarydentistry.com/647115.html

http://www.dentalvets.co.uk/docs/FCGS-VPJuly12 NJarticle.pdf