Detection of Zoonotic Bartonella Pathogens in Rabbit Fleas, Colorado, USA.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Sato S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7101129 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Detection of Zoonotic Bartonella Pathogens in Rabbit Fleas, Colorado, USA.
Sato Shingo S Brinkerhoff R Jory RJ Hollis Erin E Funada Shunta S Shannon Avery B AB Maruyama Soichi S
Emerging infectious diseases 20200401 4
We detected 3 Bartonella species in wild rabbit fleas from Colorado, USA: B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (n = 16), B. alsatica (n = 5), and B. rochalimae (n = 1). Our results support the establishment of the zoonotic agent B. alsatica in North America. ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundBartonellosis is an emerging vector-borne disease caused by different intracellular bacteria of the genus Bartonella (Rhizobiales: Bartonellaceae) that is transmitted primarily by blood-sucking arthropods such as sandflies, ticks and fleas. In Tunisia, there are no data available identifying the vectors of Bartonella spp. In our research, we used molecular methods to detect and characterize Bartonella species circulating in fleas collected from domestic animals in several of the country's bioclimatic areas.ResultsA total of 2178 fleas were collected from 5 cats, 27 dogs, 34 sheep, and 41 goats at 22 sites located in Tunisia's five bioclimatic zones. The fleas were identified as: 1803 Ctenocephalides felis (83%) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), 266 C. canis (12%) and 109 Pulex irritans (5%) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). Using conventional PCR, we screened the fleas for the presence of Bartonella spp., targeting the citrate synthase gene (gltA). Bartonella DNA was detected in 14% (121/866) of the tested flea pools [estimated infection rate (EIR) per 2 specimens: 0.072, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.060-0.086]. The Bartonella infection rate per pool was broken down as follows: 55% (65/118; EIR per 2 specimens: 0.329, 95% CI: 0.262-0.402) in C. canis; 23.5% (8/34; EIR per 2 specimens: 0.125, 95% CI: 0.055-0.233) in P. irritans and 6.7% (48/714; EIR per 2 specimens: 0.032, 95% CI: 0.025-0.045) in C. felis. Infection rates, which varied significantly by bioclimatic zone (P < 0.0001), were highest in the humid areas. By sequencing, targeting the gltA gene and the 16S-23S rRNA Intergenic Spacer Regions (ITS), we identified three Bartonella zoonotic species: B. elizabethae, B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae, as well as uncharacterized Bartonella genotypes.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that fleas in Tunisia have been shown to carry zoonotic species of Bartonella. The dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis, should be considered the main potential vector of Bartonella. Our study not only provides new information about this vector, but also offers a public health update: medical practitioners and farmers in Tunisia should be apprised of the presence of Bartonella in fleas and implement preventive measures.
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Project description:BACKGROUND: Awareness for flea- and tick-borne infections has grown in recent years and the range of microorganisms associated with these ectoparasites is rising. Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of Cat Scratch Disease, and other Bartonella species have been reported in fleas and ticks. The role of Ixodes ricinus ticks in the natural cycle of Bartonella spp. and the transmission of these bacteria to humans is unclear. Rickettsia spp. have also been reported from as well ticks as also from fleas. However, to date no flea-borne Rickettsia spp. were reported from the Netherlands. Here, the presence of Bartonellaceae and Rickettsiae in ectoparasites was investigated using molecular detection and identification on part of the gltA- and 16S rRNA-genes. RESULTS: The zoonotic Bartonella clarridgeiae and Rickettsia felis were detected for the first time in Dutch cat fleas. B. henselae was found in cat fleas and B. schoenbuchensis in ticks and keds feeding on deer. Two Bartonella species, previously identified in rodents, were found in wild mice and their fleas. However, none of these microorganisms were found in 1719 questing Ixodes ricinus ticks. Notably, the gltA gene amplified from DNA lysates of approximately 10% of the questing nymph and adult ticks was similar to that of an uncultured Bartonella-related species found in other hard tick species. The gltA gene of this Bartonella-related species was also detected in questing larvae for which a 16S rRNA gene PCR also tested positive for "Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii". The gltA-gene of the Bartonella-related species found in I. ricinus may therefore be from this endosymbiont. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the risk of acquiring Cat Scratch Disease or a related bartonellosis from questing ticks in the Netherlands is negligible. On the other hand fleas and deer keds are probable vectors for associated Bartonella species between animals and might also transmit Bartonella spp. to humans.
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Project description:BackgroundBartonella alsatica has been formerly isolated from the blood of wild European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and identified as causative agent of human endocarditis and lymphadenitis. Fleas are known biological vectors for Bartonella sp. This report details the specific detection of B. alsatica in three flea species commonly associated with the European wild rabbit in Southern Iberian Peninsula (Odontopsyllus quirosi, Spylopsyllus cuniculi and Xenopsylla cunicularis).MethodsIn the present study we have tested the presence of Bartonella alsatica in 26 European wild rabbit specimens and the fleas that they carrying at the moment of capture. Together to rabbits, captured from different localities of Andalusia (Jaen, Granada and Cordoba provinces), we evaluated three of fleas species that parasitize it usually using molecular techniques [PCR amplification and sequencing of intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) 16S-23S rRNA].ResultsOver a sample of 26 wild rabbits carrying fleas, positive PCR amplicons for B. alsatica were obtained from 10 rabbits. All positive flea pools for B. alsatica were collected from positive rabbits [33.33% (8/24 pools) of S. cuniculi, 33.33% (5/15 pools) of X. cunicularis and 0% (0/7 pools) of O. quirosi]. In three positive rabbits, a pool of S. cuniculi and two pools of X. cunicularis respectively were negative. After sequencing, only B. alsatica (Genbank accession AF312506) was found in the rabbits sampled as well as in S. cuniculi and X. cunicularis within the respective fleas.ConclusionsThis research confirms the implication of two pulicidae flea species, S. cuniculi and X. cunicularis in the maintenance of infection by B. alsatica in wild rabbit populations throughout the year. The zoonotic character of this bartonellosis emphasizes the need to alert public health authorities and the veterinary community for the risk of infection.
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