Abstract
Background Rickettsia felis is a common emerging pathogen detected in mosquitoes in sub-Saharan Africa. We hypothesized that, as with malaria, great apes may be exposed to the infectious bite of infected mosquitoes and release R. felis DNA in their feces.MethodsWe conducted a study of 17 forest sites in Central Africa, testing 1,028 fecal samples from 313 chimpanzees, 430 gorillas and 285 bonobos. The presence of rickettsial DNA was investigated by specific quantitative real-time PCR. Positive results were confirmed by a second PCR using primers and a probe targeting a specific gene for R. felis. All positive samples were sequenced.ResultsOverall, 113 samples (11%) were positive for the Rickettsia-specific gltA gene, including 25 (22%) that were positive for R. felis. The citrate synthase (gltA) sequence and outer membrane protein A (ompA) sequence analysis indicated 99% identity at the nucleotide level to R. felis. The 88 other samples (78%) were negative using R. felis-specific qPCR and were compatible with R. felis-like organisms.ConclusionFor the first time, we detected R. felis in wild-living ape feces. This non invasive detection of human pathogens in endangered species opens up new possibilities in the molecular epidemiology and evolutionary analysis of infectious diseases, beside HIV and malaria.
Highlights
Rickettsia felis is an obligate intracellular bacterium; it is the causative agent of a widely distributed infection throughout the world
R. felis infection in sub-Saharan Africa is comparable to malaria, that is, it has a very high incidence in febrile patients and may be associated with relapses [5]
R. felis DNA has been recently found in mosquitoes, such as A. albopictus (GenBank JQ674484) [6] and A. gambiae (GenBank JQ354961) [8]
Summary
Rickettsia felis is an obligate intracellular bacterium; it is the causative agent of a widely distributed infection throughout the world. R. felis infection in sub-Saharan Africa is comparable to malaria, that is, it has a very high incidence in febrile patients and may be associated with relapses [5]. Based on these similarities, it has been speculated that these patients may have been exposed to mosquitoes [3,5,6]. The analysis of gorilla stools has revealed the presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and plasmodium in the collected samples [16,17] Based on these facts, we hypothesized that apes may be commonly infected by R. felis and release the pathogen’s DNA in their stool. As with malaria, great apes may be exposed to the infectious bite of infected mosquitoes and release R. felis DNA in their feces
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