Pathogenic bacterial species and the microbiome of cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) inhabiting flea-infested homes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ctenocephalides felis is a common ectoparasite of dogs and cats and can transmit a variety of pathogens including Bartonella and Rickettsia species. These bacteria, along with the known endosymbiont Wolbachia, are well-documented members of the C. felis microbiome, but species-level information is limited. Additionally, little is known about the variation in the C. felis microbiome in fleas from different sources and when different sequencing methods are applied to the same samples.

Objective

This study aimed to characterize the flea microbiome using both short-read (V3/V4) and long-read (full-length) 16S rRNA gene sequencing, determine whether long-read sequencing improves species-level identification especially in known pathogenic genera, and evaluate difference

SUBMITTER: Gin TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12857954 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature