Horizontal transmission of Rickettsia felis between cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis

Hirunkanokpun, Supanee; Thepparit, Chutima; Foil, Lane D.; Macaluso, Kevin R.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-294x.2011.05289.x

Cited by 49 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…Our experiments indicate that I. scapularis larvae can acquire EMLA while co-feeding in the presence of infected nymphs on a naïve mouse. Co-feeding transmission may play an important role in the maintenance of EMLA in nature given the relatively short amount of time the bacteria is found in the blood, as has been suggested for other rickettsial pathogens (Levin and Fish 2000, Hirunkanokpun et al 2011, Levin et al 2014). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Co-Feeding Transmission of theEhrlichia muris–Like Agent to Mice (Mus musculus)

Karpathy

Allerdice

Sheth

et al. 2016

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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The Ehrlichia muris–like agent (EMLA) is a newly recognized human pathogen found in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Ecological investigations have implicated both the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, and the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, as playing roles in the maintenance of EMLA in nature. The work presented here shows that I. scapularis is an efficient vector of EMLA in a laboratory mouse model, but that Dermacentor variabilis, another frequent human biting tick found in EMLA endemic areas, is not. Additionally, I. scapularis larvae are able to acquire EMLA through co-feeding with infected nymphs. As EMLA only persists in mouse blood for a relatively short period of time, co-feeding transmission may play an important role in the maintenance of EMLA in ticks, and subsequently may play a role in limiting the geographic distribution of this pathogen in areas where co-feeding of larvae and nymphs is less common.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Co-Feeding Transmission of theEhrlichia muris–Like Agent to Mice (Mus musculus)

Karpathy

Allerdice

Sheth

et al. 2016

Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

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“…More specifically, the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis is the arthropod in which R. felis has been most frequently detected. To date, it is the sole confirmed biological vector of R. felis, with both horizontal and vertical transmission making this flea a potential reservoir for this bacterium (9)(10)(11). However, in some countries where R. felis appears to be highly prevalent, such as Senegal, neither cat fleas nor other arthropods have been implicated in its transmission (12).…”

Section: Constentinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transmission potential of Rickettsia felis infection by Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes

Dieme

Bechah

Socolovschi

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

138

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A growing number of recent reports have implicated Rickettsia felis as a human pathogen, paralleling the increasing detection of R. felis in arthropod hosts across the globe, primarily in fleas. Here Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, the primary malarial vectors in subSaharan Africa, were fed with either blood meal infected with R. felis or infected cellular media administered in membrane feeding systems. In addition, a group of mosquitoes was fed on R. felisinfected BALB/c mice. The acquisition and persistence of R. felis in mosquitoes was demonstrated by quantitative PCR detection of the bacteria up to day 15 postinfection. R. felis was detected in mosquito feces up to day 14. Furthermore, R. felis was visualized by immunofluorescence in salivary glands, in and around the gut, and in the ovaries, although no vertical transmission was observed. R. felis was also found in the cotton used for sucrose feeding after the mosquitoes were fed infected blood. Natural bites from R. felisinfected An. gambiae were able to cause transient rickettsemias in mice, indicating that this mosquito species has the potential to be a vector of R. felis infection. This is particularly important given the recent report of high prevalence of R. felis infection in patients with "fever of unknown origin" in malaria-endemic areas.Rickettsia felis | spotted fever | Anopheles gambiae I n 2002, Rickettsia felis, an obligate intracellular bacterium that belongs to the spotted fever group of Rickettsia, was definitively described (1, 2). Over the past 2 decades, an increasing number of reports have implicated R. felis as a human pathogen, paralleling an increase in reports of the detection of R. felis in arthropod hosts throughout the world (1, 3).By 2011, more than 70 human cases of R. felis had been reported worldwide, including in Central and South America, Asia, northern Africa, and Europe (1). More cases have been published since then, including the first probable human cases in Australia (4). In sub-Saharan Africa, recent studies have challenged the importance of R. felis infection in patients with "fever of unknown origin," with this bacterium detected in up to 15% of such patients (5-7). In 2011, a potential R. felis primary infection, called "yaaf," was suspected in the case of an 8-mo-old girl in Senegal with polymorphous skin lesions similar to those seen in patients from Mexico (8). The epidemiologic and clinical picture of this emerging infection in Africa, including its potential vectors, is poorly understood, however.Various arthropods, but primarily fleas, have been associated with R. felis (1, 3). More specifically, the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis is the arthropod in which R. felis has been most frequently detected. To date, it is the sole confirmed biological vector of R. felis, with both horizontal and vertical transmission making this flea a potential reservoir for this bacterium (9-11). However, in some countries where R. felis appears to be highly prevalent, such as Senegal, neither cat fleas nor other arthropods have been...

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“…Additionally, much debate surrounds the likelihood of freely circulating rickettsiae in the blood of vertebrates from non-fatal cases (Labruna & Walker 2014). Therefore, despite the demonstration of horizontal transmission in an artificial host system (Hirunkanokpun et al 2011), the principal route from systemically infected vertebrates to uninfected arthropods may not be applicable to the R. felis transmission cycle.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cofeeding intra‐ and interspecific transmission of an emerging insect‐borne rickettsial pathogen

et al. 2015

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Cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) are known as the primary vector and reservoir of Rickettsia felis, the causative agent of flea‐borne spotted fever; however, field surveys regularly report molecular detection of this infectious agent from other blood‐feeding arthropods. The presence of R. felis in additional arthropods may be the result of chance consumption of an infectious bloodmeal, but isolation of viable rickettsiae circulating in the blood of suspected vertebrate reservoirs has not been demonstrated. Successful transmission of pathogens between actively blood‐feeding arthropods in the absence of a disseminated vertebrate infection has been verified, referred to as cofeeding transmission. Therefore, the principal route from systemically infected vertebrates to uninfected arthropods may not be applicable to the R. felis transmission cycle. Here, we show both intra‐ and interspecific transmission of R. felis between cofeeding arthropods on a vertebrate host. Analyses revealed that infected cat fleas transmitted R. felis to naïve cat fleas and rat fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis) via fleabite on a nonrickettsemic vertebrate host. Also, cat fleas infected by cofeeding were infectious to newly emerged uninfected cat fleas in an artificial system. Furthermore, we utilized a stochastic model to demonstrate that cofeeding is sufficient to explain the enzootic spread of R. felis amongst populations of the biological vector. Our results implicate cat fleas in the spread of R. felis amongst different vectors, and the demonstration of cofeeding transmission of R. felis through a vertebrate host represents a novel transmission paradigm for insect‐borne Rickettsia and furthers our understanding of this emerging rickettsiosis.

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Horizontal transmission of Rickettsia felis between cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis

Cited by 49 publications

References 36 publications

Co-Feeding Transmission of theEhrlichia muris–Like Agent to Mice (Mus musculus)

Co-Feeding Transmission of theEhrlichia muris–Like Agent to Mice (Mus musculus)

Transmission potential of Rickettsia felis infection by Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes

Cofeeding intra‐ and interspecific transmission of an emerging insect‐borne rickettsial pathogen

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