We present data that concurs with the reported geographical expansion of scrub typhus outside the “Tsutsugamushi Triangle” and addition ofOrientia chutoas a second species in theOrientiagenus. Wild rodents were caught in Marigat, Baringo County, Kenya, and ectoparasites, including chiggers, were recovered. Rodent and chigger species were identified by taxonomic features. DNA was extracted from the chiggers and used to amplify and/or sequence the 47-kDa high temperature transmembrane protein (TSA47), the 56-kDa type-specific antigen (TSA56), and the 16S rRNA (rrs)Orientiagenes. The main rodent hosts identified wereAcomys wilsoni,Crocidurasp., andMastomys natalensis, which accounted for 59.2% of the total collection. Of these,A. wilsoniandM. natalensisharbored most of the chiggers that belonged to theNeotrombiculaandMicrotrombiculagenera. A pool of chiggers from one ofM. natalensiswas positive forOrientiaby TSA47 PCR, butOrientiadid not amplify with the TSA56 primers. On sequencing the 850 bp of the TSA47 gene, the closest phylogenetic relative wasO. chuto, with 97.65% sequence homology compared to 84.63 to 84.76% forO. tsutsugamushi. 16S rRNA deep sequencing also revealedO. chutoas the closest phylogenetic relative, with 99.75% sequence homology. These results and the existing immunological and molecular reports are strongly suggestive of the existence ofOrientiaspecies in Kenya.

Introduction: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPECs) are a significant cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs). In Kenya, UTIs are typically treated with b-lactam antibiotics without antibiotic susceptibility testing, which could accelerate antibiotic resistance among UPEC strains. Aim: This study determined the occurrence of UPEC producing extended-spectrum b-lactamases (ESBLs), the genes conferring resistance to b-lactams, and the phylogenetic groups associated with ESBLs in Kenyan UPECs. Methodology: Ninety-five UPEC isolates from six Kenyan hospitals were tested for ESBL and plasmidmediated AmpC b-lactamase (pAmpC) production by combined disk diffusion and disk approximation tests, respectively. Real-time and conventional polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) were used to detect three ESBL and six pAmpC genes, respectively, and phylogenetic groups were assigned by a quadruplex PCR method. Results: Twenty-four percent UPEC isolates were ESBL producers with bla CTX-M (95.6%), bla TEM (95.6%), and bla SHV (21.7%) genes detected. Sixteen isolates had bla CTX-M/TEM , whereas five had bla TEM/CTX-M/SHV . A total of 5/23 ESBLs were cefoxitin resistant, but no AmpC genes were detected. The UPECs belonged predominantly to phylogenetic groups B2 (31/95; 32.6%) and D (30/95; 31.6%), while groups B2 and A had the most ESBL producers. Conclusions: b-Lactam antibiotics have reduced utility for treating UTIs as a quarter of UPECs were ESBL producing. Single or multiple ESBL genes were present in UPECs, belonging primarily to phylogenetic groups B2 and A.

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