Detection of Bartonella henselae and Rickettsia felis in Fleas from Client-Owned Pets in Oklahoma

Abstract

Bartonella sp. and Rickettsia sp. DNA were detected in cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), collected from urban, client-owned cats (Felis catus L.) and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris L.) at Tulsa, OK, during 2017. Bartonella henselae (Regnery et al. 1992) was detected in four of six fleas (67%) from one cat, while Rickettsia felis (Bouyer et al. 2001) was detected in eight fleas from five animals.