Abstract
This study aimed to molecularly survey and evaluate the genetic diversity of Bartonella spp. in mongooses and their fleas from St. Kitts. Spleen (n = 54), blood (n = 71), and pooled flea samples, all identified as Ctenocephalides felis (n = 53), were submitted to TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting Bartonella-nuoG fragment (84 bp). Positive samples underwent further conventional PCR assays targeting five loci (gltA, rpoB, fstZ, nuoG, and ITS), subsequent sequencing, and phylogenetic and haplotype analyses. The overall occurrence of Bartonella spp. in mongooses and fleas was 51.2% (64/125 [95% CI (42.1–60.2%)]) and 62.3% (33/53) [95% CI (47.9–75.2%)]), respectively. From samples sequenced across the five loci, 50.8% (33/65) were identified as Bartonella henselae, 26.2% (17/65) were 96.74–99.01% similar by BLAST analysis to an unidentified Bartonella sp. previously reported in Japanese badgers (Meles anakuma), and 23.1% (15/65) were co-infected with both species. Nucleotide polymorphism analysis showed low diversity amongst haplotypes but did concur with phylogenetic analysis, placing the unidentified species in a separate clade from B. henselae by multiple mutational events. Our data confirms that mongooses and Ctenocephalides felis fleas collected from them are not only potential reservoirs for B. henselae but also a novel Bartonella sp. which we propose be called ‘Candidatus Bartonella kittensis’.
Highlights
All 130 fleas were individually morphologically identified by microscopy as C. felis and the 53 pooled flea samples were positive for the C. felis endogenous region of 18S rDNA
51.2% (64/125) [95% CI (42.1–60.2%)] of the mongooses were positive for Bartonella spp. with the quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) targeting the nuoG gene
In addition to demonstrating two distinct Bartonella clades, this study identified several samples that tested positive for both B. henselae and ‘Candidatus Bartonella kittensis’
Summary
Bartonella is a genus in the order Rhizobiales that contains fastidious, Gram-negative, hemotropic, pleomorphic bacteria that are typically transmitted through arthropods [1]. The prevalence of Bartonella is seemingly dependent on geographical location and the presence of associated arthropod vectors [4,5]. Bartonella invades the endothelial cells, erythrocytes and, possibly, the monocyte-macrophage system of mammalian hosts, resulting in persistent bacteremia [1,6,7]. Though the domestic cat and dog serve as primary hosts for several of the Bartonella spp. [8,9,10], Bartonella has been detected in various wildlife species, such as rodents [11], wild carnivores [12], and bats [13] Though the domestic cat and dog serve as primary hosts for several of the Bartonella spp. [8,9,10], Bartonella has been detected in various wildlife species, such as rodents [11], wild carnivores [12], and bats [13]
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