Identification of Different Bartonella Species in the Cattle Tail Louse (Haematopinus quadripertusus) and in Cattle Blood

Abstract

bBartonella spp. are worldwide-distributed facultative intracellular bacteria that exhibit an immense genomic diversity across mammal and arthropod hosts. The occurrence of cattle-associated Bartonella species was investigated in the cattle tail louse Haematopinus quadripertusus and in dairy cattle blood from Israel. Lice were collected from cattle from two dairy farms during summer 2011, and both lice and cow blood samples were collected from additional seven farms during the successive winter. The lice were identified morphologically and molecularly using 18S rRNA sequencing. Thereafter, they were screened for Bartonella DNA by conventional and real-time PCR assays using four partial genetic loci (gltA, rpoB, ssrA, and internal transcribed spacer [ITS]). A potentially novel Bartonella variant, closely related to other ruminant bartonellae, was identified in 11 of 13 louse pools collected in summer. In the cattle blood, the prevalence of Bartonella infection was 38%, identified as B. bovis and B. henselae (24 and 12%, respectively). A third genotype, closely related to Bartonella melophagi and Bartonella chomelii (based on the ssrA gene) and to B. bovis (based on the ITS sequence) was identified in a single cow. The relatively high prevalence of these Bartonella species in cattle and the occurrence of phylogenetically diverse Bartonella variants in both cattle and their lice suggest the potential role of this animal system in the generation of Bartonella species diversity.

Bartonella chomelii Is the Most Frequent Species Infecting Cattle Grazing in Communal Mountain Pastures in Spain

“…Currently, there is scarce information about the vectors responsible for the transmission of Bartonella in cows, although lice (Haematopinus quadripertusus), ticks (Rhipicephalus microplus), or biting flies (Hippobosca and Haematobia spp.) have been involved as potential vectors (22,35,36,37). In our study, ticks were found on the studied animals (data not shown), although they could not be tested for Bartonella.…”

Molecular detection of Bartonella species and haemoplasmas in wild African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in Mozambique, Africa

“…Indeed, the latter phenomena have been already reported in Bartonella species from wild rodents (Harrus et al, 2009;Paziewska et al, 2011), cattle (Gutiérrez et al, 2014) and bats (Bai et al, 2015). These distinct possibilities reinforce the great challenge on Bartonella identification based on direct molecular detection in blood, tissue or ectoparasite samples (Gutiérrez et al, 2014;Kosoy et al, 2017). Although the multiple loci sequencing approach was attempted in the present study for a better understanding of sequences phylogenetic positioning and possible recombinant events and/ or infection by multiple Bartonella species (Kosoy et al, 2017), the unique positive sample (#62) in cPCR assays was negative in PCR targeting additional genes (rpoB and groEL), thus precluding to solve this issue.…”

“…Therefore, it suggests that Bartonella and haemoplasma species detected in S. caffer in the present study may be potentially transmitted by these tick species. In addition to possible role of ticks in the transmission of Bartonella, several studies have reported the isolation or molecular detection of Bartonella species in other bloodsucking arthropods associated with wild and domestic ruminants (Chung et al, 2004;Dehio et al, 2004;Halos et al, 2004;Duodu et al, 2013;Gutiérrez et al, 2014). Regarding the haemoplasma transmission, few studies have accessed the mechanisms of transmission by arthropod vectors.…”

“…The elucidation of these bacterial cycles in nature, including the identification of hosts, vectors and the species distribution in a particular ecotope shows great importance (Gutiérrez et al, 2014). Additionally, the African buffalo plays a role as reservoirs for vector-borne pathogens and may represent a serious threat to the livestock industry (Andrew and Norval, 1989;Allsopp et al, 1999;Eygelaar et al, 2015;Van Schalkwyk et al, 2016).…”

Lack of transplacental transmission of Bartonella bovis

“…By similarity with the epidemiology of Bartonella henselae [13], Bartonella bacilliformis and Bartonella quintana [9], it is suspected that the transmission between reservoirs is ensured horizontally by a blood-suckling arthropod [22]. B. bovis DNA has already been amplified from biting flies (Haematobia sp., Lipoptena cervi), cattle tail louse and ticks [4,10,14,15,18,21,22,33,38]. Domestic felids and canids bites have also been suspected for B. henselae transmission [19].…”