Fleas of black rats (Rattus rattus) as reservoir host ofBartonellaspp. in Chile

Abstract

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, semi-arid, 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. A total of 10 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.

Patterns of Gastrointestinal Helminth Infections in Rattus rattus, Rattus norvegicus, and Mus musculus in Chile

“…The Rattus rattus ( n = 159), R. norvegicus ( n = 30), and Mus musculus ( n = 91) included in this study were obtained from previous studies, which had other objectives ( 19 , 24 , 27 , 28 ); the trapping and euthanasia by an overdose of anesthesia of those rodents were described in those articles. In addition to ethic and/or legal authorizations provided for these articles, new samplings were approved by the Comité de Bioética of the Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias (CBE-34-2019) of the Universidad de Concepción.…”

Parasites of Native and Invasive Rodents in Chile: Ecological and Human Health Needs

“…One trematode (Plagiorchiida), eight cestode (Cyclophyllidea), 35 nematode (Trichinellida, Rhabditida, Strongylida, Ascaridida and Spirurida), 92 flea (Siphonaptera), 17 louse (Phthiraptera), 16 mite (Mesostigmata, Trombidiformes and Sarcoptiformes), and five tick (Ixodida) species were reported ( 12 – 70 ). Supplementary Table 1 (helminths) and Supplementary Table 2 (arthropods) in Supplementary Material detail the species and hosts from which they have been collected.…”

“…Bartonella mastomydis has been detected in Xenopsylla cheopis , and Bartonella sp. has been detected in X. cheopis, L. segnis, N. fasciatus, Hectopsylla sp., Neotyphloceras chilensis, Neotyphloceras pardinasi , and Sphinctopsylla ares ( 12 , 89 ). Bartonella tribocorum and Bartonella rochalimae have been detected in Rattus rattus and Abrothrix sp.…”

“…Rats and mice were introduced into and have colonized the country, invading several environments and harboring zoonotic pathogens ( 10 , 11 ); however, studies on zoonotic macroparasites have remained neglected over the last few decades, as studies related to vector-borne zoonoses (by microparasites) have been the main focus in public health. Conversely, studies focusing on the biodiversity and ecology of macroparasites among introduced rodents have increased slightly in recent years ( 12 , 13 ). Thus, the aim of this study was to review and quantitatively explore the literature on macroparasites of rodents from the perspectives of public health and ecology.…”

Presencia de Dromiciops (Microbiotheriidae) en un remanente de bosque esclerófilo mediterráneo del Santuario de la Naturaleza Península de Hualpén, Chile

“…3). El resto de los registros corresponde a aves (Hued-Hued castaño -Pteroptochos castaneus y Rayadito -Aphrastura spinicauda) y a Rattus rattus (Rata negra) (registrada en los nueve sitios), especie que representa un grave problema para la salud ecosistémica (Lobos et al 2005b), debido a la alta posibilidad de transmisión de enfermedades (Moreno-Salas et al 2019, predación (Shepherd & Ditgen 2012) y competencia con las especies nativas (Harris 2009).…”