Bartonella species were isolated from the blood of 63 of 325 Rattus norvegicus and 11 of 92 Rattus rattus from 13 sites in the United States and Portugal. Infection in both Rattus species ranged from 0% (e.g., 0/87) to approximately 60% (e.g., 35/62). A 337-bp fragment of the citrate synthase (gltA) gene amplified by polymerase chain reaction was sequenced from all 74 isolates. Isolates from R. norvegicus were most similar to Bartonella elizabethae, isolated previously from a patient with endocarditis (93%-100% sequence similarity), followed by Bartonella grahamii and other Bartonella species isolated from Old World rodents (Clethrionomys species, Mus musculus, and Rattus species). These data suggest that Rattus species are a reservoir host for pathogenic Bartonella species and are consistent with a hypothesized Old World origin for Bartonella species recovered from Rattus species introduced into the Americas.
The role of rats in human hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections remains controversial. A genetically distinct HEV was recently isolated from rats in Germany, and its genome was sequenced. We have isolated a genetically similar HEV from urban rats in Los Angeles, California, USA, and characterized its ability to infect laboratory rats and nonhuman primates. Two strains of HEV were isolated from serum samples of 134 wild rats that had a seroprevalence of antibodies against HEV of ≈80%. Virus was transmissible to seronegative Sprague-Dawley rats, but transmission was spotty and magnitude and duration of infection were not robust. Viremia was higher in nude rats. Serologic analysis and reverse transcription PCR were comparably sensitive in detecting infection. The sequence of the Los Angeles virus was virtually identical to that of isolates from Germany. Rat HEV was not transmissible to rhesus monkeys, suggesting that it is not a source of human infection.H epatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of epidemic waterborne and sporadic hepatitis in developing countries. Hepatitis E is caused principally by HEV genotypes 1 and 2 (1). Recently, hepatitis E has been diagnosed with increasing frequency as a cause of sporadic hepatitis in industrialized countries (2). Additionally, a large proportion (<20%) of populations of such countries have antibodies against HEV in the absence of any recognized hepatitis (3-5), and evidence is increasing that these antibodies might be the result of subclinical infections acquired zoonotically.Strains of HEV representing genotypes 3 and 4, which have been isolated from humans with hepatitis E, regularly infect pigs worldwide (6), and infection in humans caused by eating undercooked meat from domestic pigs, wild boar, and several species of wild deer has been documented (6,7). However, many, if not most, persons who have unexplained antibodies against HEV do not eat undercooked pork or venison, raising the possibility that other animals or modes of zoonotic transmission exist. It is noteworthy that swine handlers in the United States have a higher incidence of antibodies against HEV than do healthy blood donors, even though pork is generally thoroughly cooked in the United States. Therefore, eating pork is unlikely to explain the prevalence of antibodies against HEV in this country.Numerous species, including rodents, have been found to have antibodies reactive with capsid protein of human HEV strains, and HEV closely related to genotypes 3 or 4 has been recently isolated from rabbits (8), cattle (9), and sheep (10). However, an HEV strain recently isolated from rats was unique and only distantly related to known strains (11). Thus, it is important to understand how this rat virus is related to human infections. Rats are particularly interesting as a potential source of human infections because although they are not a human food, they have a high seroprevalence of antibodies against HEV (12,13) and they are ubiquitous and in close contact with humans everywhere.We have demonstrated that a hi...
Of 200 individual Xenopsylla cheopis fleas removed from Rattus norvegicus rats trapped in downtown LosAngeles, CA, 190 (95%) were positive for the presence of Bartonella DNA. Ninety-one amplicons were sequenced: Bartonella rochalimae-like DNA was detected in 66 examined fleas, and Bartonella tribocorum-like DNA was identified in 25 fleas. The data obtained from this study demonstrate an extremely high prevalence of Bartonella DNA in rat-associated fleas.Bartonella spp. are small, pleomorphic, Gram-negative bacteria that can invade and replicate in erythrocytes and endothelial cells. Infection often leads to prolonged intraerythrocytic bacteremia within the reservoir host (4). Of the Ͼ20 Bartonella spp. characterized to date, more than half are suspected or known to be pathogenic to humans (3), and most are believed to be transmitted by arthropod vectors (1).Fleas have been suspected vectors of Bartonella spp. for several decades. Bartonella DNA has been detected in flea species on all continents, excluding Antarctica (1). The Oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, is believed to transmit several Bartonella spp., including Bartonella tribocorum, Bartonella elizabethae, Bartonella queenslandensis, and Bartonella rochalimae (8), though experimental transmission studies have not been performed to verify this supposition. X. cheopis fleas are distributed worldwide and infest mainly rodents but will bite humans.The aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in X. cheopis fleas removed from Rattus norvegicus rats in Los Angeles County, CA. In a separate survey, R. norvegicus rats, infested with fleas examined for this study, were also screened for the presence of Bartonella DNA
A previous study suggested that the genomes of the arenaviruses native to North America are a product of genetic recombination between New World arenaviruses with significantly different phylogenetic histories. The purpose of this study was to extend our knowledge of the principal host relationships and evolutionary history of the North American arenaviruses. The results of this study suggest that the large-eared woodrat (Neotoma macrotis) is a principal host of Bear Canyon virus and that the present-day association of Bear Canyon virus with the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) in southern California represents a successful host-jumping event from the large-eared woodrat to the California mouse. Together, the results of analyses of viral gene sequence data in this study and our knowledge of the phylogeography of the rodents that serve as principal hosts of the New World arenaviruses suggest that genetic recombination between arenaviruses with significantly different phylogenetic histories did not play a role in the evolution of the North American arenaviruses.
A patient presumably acquired this illness after exposure to ticks in mountains near Los Angeles.
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