Abstract
Bartonella species are increasingly associated with a range of human and animal diseases. Despite this, we have a poor understanding of the ecology and epidemiology of many species, especially those circulating in wild populations. Previous studies have demonstrated that a diverse range of Bartonella species are abundant in wild rodent populations; little is known regarding their modes of transmission, although both direct and indirect routes have been suggested. In this study, with bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) as the host species, we demonstrate that the rodent flea Ctenophthalmus nobilis is a competent vector of at least two Bartonella species, B. grahamii, which has previously been associated with human infection, and B. taylorii. In contrast, no evidence of either horizontal or vertical transmission was seen in bank voles inoculated with B. taylorii maintained in an arthropod-free environment; this finding suggests that fleas may be essential for transmitting some Bartonella species.
Highlights
Bartonella species are increasingly associated with a range of human and animal diseases
Human infections with Bartonella species of rodent origin have been reported from both sides of the Atlantic: in the United States, B. elizabethae, associated with endocarditis, B. washoensis, associated with cardiac disease, and B. vinsonii subsp. arupensis, causing fever and neurologic symptoms [8,9,10]; in Europe, B. grahamii, isolated from the eye of a patient with neuroretinitis [11]
Twenty-one of the 28 blood samples from the bank voles produced colonies resembling Bartonella spp., and all of these were confirmed as Bartonella spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Summary
Bartonella species are increasingly associated with a range of human and animal diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that a diverse range of Bartonella species are abundant in wild rodent populations; little is known regarding their modes of transmission, both direct and indirect routes have been suggested. With bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) as the host species, we demonstrate that the rodent flea Ctenophthalmus nobilis is a competent vector of at least two Bartonella species, B. grahamii, which has previously been associated with human infection, and B. taylorii. No evidence of either horizontal or vertical transmission was seen in bank voles inoculated with B. taylorii maintained in an arthropodfree environment; this finding suggests that fleas may be essential for transmitting some Bartonella species. While the association of Bartonella of rodent origin with human disease continues to increase, our understanding of the ecology and epidemiology of these infections is. The potential importance of direct horizontal or vertical transmission was investigated
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