Abstract
.In the present study, we tested 391 fleas collected from guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) (241 Pulex species, 110 Ctenocephalides felis, and 40 Tiamastus cavicola) and 194 fleas collected from human bedding and clothing (142 Pulex species, 43 C. felis, five T. cavicola, and four Ctenocephalides canis) for the presence of Bartonella DNA. We also tested 83 blood spots collected on Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards from guinea pigs inhabiting 338 Peruvian households. Bartonella DNA was detected in 81 (20.7%) of 391 guinea pig fleas, in five (2.6%) of 194 human fleas, and in 16 (19.3%) of 83 guinea pig blood spots. Among identified Bartonella species, B. rochalimae was the most prevalent in fleas (89.5%) and the only species found in the blood spots from guinea pigs. Other Bartonella species detected in fleas included B. henselae (3.5%), B. clarridgeiae (2.3%), and an undescribed Bartonella species (4.7%). Our results demonstrated a high prevalence of zoonotic B. rochalimae in households in rural areas where the research was conducted and suggested a potential role of guinea pigs as a reservoir of this bacterium.
Highlights
The Andes region of Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador is endemic for Carrion’s disease, a bacterial infection caused by Bartonella bacilliformis
Our results demonstrated a high prevalence of zoonotic B. rochalimae in households in rural areas where the research was conducted and suggested a potential role of guinea pigs as a reservoir of this bacterium
B. rochalimae was the main Bartonella species found in fleas from guinea pigs and fleas from human bedding and clothes (89.5%) and the only Bartonella spp. found in guinea pig blood samples
Summary
The Andes region of Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador is endemic for Carrion’s disease, a bacterial infection caused by Bartonella bacilliformis. This bacterium is transmitted to humans via the bite of a sand fly (Lutzomyia verrucarum). In addition to B. bacilliformis, other zoonotic Bartonella species (B. rochalimae, B. ancashensis, B. henselae, and B. clarridgeiae) have been reported in Peru.[1,2,3,4] Some of these Bartonella species are hosted by small carnivorous mammals (cats, dogs, skunks, and raccoons) and can be transmitted to humans by exposure to an infected animal and/ or its ectoparasites.[5] In humans, the symptoms associated with these Bartonella species are frequently nonspecific.[6,7,8,9] For example, B. rochalimae isolated from an American tourist after her travel to Peru caused fever, bacteremia, and splenomegaly.[1]
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