Bartonella Genotypes in Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) Collected from Rodents in the Negev Desert, Israel

Abstract

Fleas collected from rodents in the Negev Desert in southern Israel were molecularly screened for Bartonella species. A total of 1,148 fleas, collected from 122 rodents belonging to six species, were pooled in 245 pools based on flea species, sex, and rodent host species. Two Bartonella gene fragments, corresponding to RNA polymerase B (rpoB) and citrate synthase (gltA), were targeted, and 94 and 74 flea pools were found positive by PCR, respectively. The Bartonella 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was also targeted, and 66 flea pools were found to be positive by PCR. Sixteen different Bartonella gltA genotypes were detected in 94 positive flea pools collected from 5 different rodent species, indicating that fleas collected from each rodent species can harbor several Bartonella genotypes. Based on gltA analysis, identified Bartonella genotypes were highly similar or identical to strains previously detected in rodent species from different parts of the world. A gltA fragment 100% similar to Bartonella henselae was detected in one flea pool. Another 2 flea pools contained gltA fragments that were closely related to B. henselae (98% similarity). The high sequence similarities to the zoonotic pathogen B. henselae warrant further investigation.

The effect of ecological and temporal factors on the composition of Bartonella infection in rodents and their fleas

“…Unsurprisingly, Bartonella sp. OE 1-1 (AB445001.1) was the most abundant genotype in the study, as was previously detected in high prevalence in S. cleopatrae fleas from G. andersoni rodents (Morick et al, 2010). Nonetheless, other genotypes were similarly distributed in the different sample groups, such is the case of Bartonella sp.…”

“…Fleas are believed to be the main vectors of bartonellae in wild rodent populations (Billeter et al, 2008). Although, only a few flea species were experimentally proven as competent vectors (Bown et al, 2004;Morick et al, 2011Morick et al, , 2013a, several Bartonella organisms have been detected in various flea species, suggesting their role as vectors and possibly as reservoirs (Loftis et al, 2006;Morick et al, 2010;Billeter et al, 2011;Deng et al, 2012). As reported in rodents, it has been documented that some fleas can carry more than one Bartonella species or variant (Abbot et al, 2007;Brinkerhoff et al, 2010).…”

BartonellaInfection in Rodents and Their Flea Ectoparasites: An Overview

“…Bartonellae have been shown to be dominant members of the bacterial communities of several rodent associated fleas ( Jones et al 2008, Hawlena et al 2013. Moreover, many rodent-associated fleas have been shown to be naturally infected with Bartonella closely related to zoonotic species (Stevenson et al 2003, Marie et al 2006, Jones et al 2008, Morick et al 2010, Billeter et al 2011, Kabeya et al 2011, Billeter et al 2013, Kim et al 2013. The frequent feeding of fleas and their ability to move from one host to another might explain the high prevalence and diversity of Bartonella spp.…”

“…Visit of burrows or invasion to the territories of other rodent species can represent an important source of flea interchange (Krasnov and Khokhlova 2001). Therefore, the geographical and/or habitat traits of rodents and their fleas may enhance or restrict the diversity of bartonellae observed in those animal communities ( Jardine et al 2006a, Morick et al 2010.…”

Genotyping ofBartonellabacteria and their animal hosts: current status and perspectives

“…In spite of a large number of publications reporting investigation of Bartonella in ectoparasites (>140), we were able to select only 14 publications, which provided data on comparison of at least two genetic markers for genotyping Bartonella in DNA extracted from arthropods (Table 4). In four of the 14 studies, ITS was shown to be most sensitive marker for detection and genotyping Bartonella; however, in some other studies, success with gltA gene was similar ( When Morick et al (2010) genotyped bartonellae in fleas collected from rodents in the Negev Desert of Israel using three genetic markers (gltA, ITS and rpoB), they found the 313 bp gltA fragment to be the best target for screening fleas for Bartonella and for identification to species level. All flea pools that were found positive by rpoB or ITS screening were also positive by gltA.…”