First molecular detection and characterization of zoonotic Bartonella species in fleas infesting domestic animals in Tunisia

Zouari, Saba; Khrouf, Fatma; M’ghirbi, Youmna; Bouattour, Ali

doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2372-5

Cited by 34 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Our study shows variations in the prevalence of Bartonella in the different hydrographic zones analyzed, and the differences could be associated to both the distribution of flea species and environmental factors. A study conducted on fleas of domestic animals from Tunisia (Zouari et al, 2017) found a higher prevalence of Bartonella in fleas from humid areas, followed by semiarid, sub-humid, and arid regions; this bacterium was not found in the dry zone, contrary to what was found in our study. During our investigation, we found a higher prevalence of the bacterium in arid, semi-arid, and sub-humid zones.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #1 of "Fleas of black rats (Rattus rattus) as reservoir host of Bartonella spp. in Chile (v0.1)"

Šlapeta¹

2019

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Background. Rattus rattus is a widely distributed, invasive species that presents an important role in disease transmission, either directly or through vector arthropods such as fleas. These black rats can transmit a wide variety of pathogens, including bacteria of the genus Bartonella, which can cause diseases in humans and animals. In Chile, no data are available identifying fleas from synanthropic rodents as Bartonella vectors. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in the fleas of R. rattus in areas with different climate conditions and featuring different human population densities. Methods. In all, 174 fleas collected from 261 R. rattus captured from 30 localities with different human densities (cities, villages, and wild areas) across five hydrographic zones of Chile (hyper-arid, arid, semiarid, sub-humid, and hyper-humid) were examined. Bartonella spp. presence was determined through polymerase chain reaction, using gltA and rpoB genes, which were concatenated to perform a similarity analysis with BLAST and phylogenetic analysis. Results. Overall, 15 fleas species were identified; Bartonella gltA and rpoB fragments were detected in 21.2% (37/174) and 19.5% (34/174) of fleas, respectively. Ten of the 15 fleas species found were positive for Bartonella DNA. Leptopsylla segnis was the most commonly collected flea species (n=55), and it also presented a high prevalence of Bartonella DNA (P%=34.5%). The highest numbers of fleas of this species were collected in villages of the arid zone. There were no seasonal differences in the prevalence of Bartonella DNA. The presence of Bartonella DNA in fleas was recorded in all hydrographic areas, and the arid zone presented the highest prevalence of this species. Regarding areas with different human densities, the highest prevalence was noted in the villages (34.8% gltA and 31.8% rpoB), followed by cities (14.8% gltA and 11.1% rpoB) and wild areas (7.4% gltA and 14.8% rpoB). The BLAST analysis showed a high similitude (>96%) with four uncharacterized Bartonella genotypes and with two species with zoonotic potential: B. mastomydis and B. tribocorum. The phylogenetic analysis showed a close relationship with B. elizabethae and B. tribocorum. This is the first study to provide evidence of the presence of Bartonella in fleas of R. rattus in Chile, indicating that the villages and arid zone correspond to areas with higher infection risk.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #1 of "Fleas of black rats (Rattus rattus) as reservoir host of Bartonella spp. in Chile (v0.1)"

Šlapeta¹

2019

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“…Although animals included in this study showed relatively high flea infestation, the prevalence of Bartonella in cat fleas seems lower when compared with studies in mainland Spain (Andalucía 11.5%, La Rioja 21.5%) (Márquez et al 2009, Gil et al 2013 and some other Mediterranean countries, such as Israel (64%) or Tunisia (33.4%) (Gutiérrez et al 2015, Zouari et al 2017. Additional investigations covering other islands of the Archipelago might change the prevalence rate.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 59%

Molecular detection ofBartonella henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiaeandRickettsia felisin cat and dog fleas in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Abreu-Yanes

Abreu-Acosta²,

Kosoy³

et al. 2020

Journal of Vector Ecology

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The cat flea Ctenocephalides felis is the main vector of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, the causative agents of cat‐scratch disease (CSD) and the spotted‐fever agent Rickettsia felis. In spite of their worldwide distribution, there are no data on the occurrence of CSD‐causing Bartonella species or the prevalence of Rickettsia species in the Canary Islands, Spain. Therefore, the aim of our study was to screen cat and dog fleas for both pathogens. A total of 128 C. felis from cats and dogs were screened for Bartonella and Rickettsia by PCR. Bartonella henselae (2.3%) and B. clarridgeiae (3.9%) were found in fleas infesting cats, whereas R. felis was identified in both cat (36.6%) and dog (40.7%) fleas. Further, co‐infections were observed. This work constitutes the first finding of CSD‐causing Bartonella species and the first study on the prevalence of R. felis in fleas from domestic animals in the Canary Islands. These results indicate public health importance, as associated infections could be misdiagnosed in the Archipelago despite their clinical relevance. Establishing human and animal routine diagnosis procedures for these pathogens along with improving vector control in shelters is necessary in order to prevent the spread of the infections among animals.

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“…After infection, the bacteria eventually enter the erythrocytes and endothelial cells and can persist asymptomatically in a wide range of mammalian reservoir hosts such as rodents, insectivores, carnivores, and ungulates [ 13 – 15 ]. The infection is transmitted mainly by arthropod vectors including fleas [ 16 ], sand flies [ 17 ], lice [ 18 ], mites [ 19 ] and ticks [ 20 , 21 ]. The transmission and evolution of Bartonella species in mammals is the result of a complex relationship between multiple hosts, vectors and pathogens.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bartonella DNA in heart tissues of bats in central and eastern Europe and a review of phylogenetic relations of bat-associated bartonellae

et al. 2018

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BackgroundBats are among the most widely distributed mammals worldwide and can represent hosts or reservoirs for a number of different pathogens. Bartonella spp. are opportunistic bacterial pathogens, which are transmitted by a large variety of arthropods. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and host-associations of these Gram-negative bacteria in heart tissues of bats collected in four different countries from eastern and central Europe and to analyze their phylogenetic relationship with other bat-associated bartonellae.ResultsThe results of this study show for the first time the presence of Bartonella spp. DNA in heart tissues of bats from central and eastern Europe. The overall prevalence of the infection was 1.38%. Phylogenetic analysis identified four new Bartonella spp. sequences, which were closely related with other Bartonella previously isolated from bats in Europe and North America.ConclusionsThe gltA sequences of Bartonella spp. showed considerable heterogeneity in the phylogenetic analysis resulting in six different clades. Our study demonstrated the presence of Bartonella spp. only in heart tissues of bats from Romania, with two new bat species recorded as hosts (Myotis cf. alcathoe and Pipistrellus pipistrellus).Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3070-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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First molecular detection and characterization of zoonotic Bartonella species in fleas infesting domestic animals in Tunisia

Cited by 34 publications

References 52 publications

Peer Review #1 of "Fleas of black rats (Rattus rattus) as reservoir host of Bartonella spp. in Chile (v0.1)"

Peer Review #1 of "Fleas of black rats (Rattus rattus) as reservoir host of Bartonella spp. in Chile (v0.1)"

Molecular detection ofBartonella henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiaeandRickettsia felisin cat and dog fleas in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Bartonella DNA in heart tissues of bats in central and eastern Europe and a review of phylogenetic relations of bat-associated bartonellae

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