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Molecular detection of Rickettsia felis in dogs, rodents and cat fleas in Zambia

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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:http://hdl.handle.net/2115/75166

Title: Molecular detection of Rickettsia felis in dogs, rodents and cat fleas in Zambia
Authors: Moonga, Lavel Chinyama Browse this author
Hayashida, Kyoko Browse this author
Nakao, Ryo Browse this author
Lisulo, Malimba Browse this author
Kaneko, Chiho Browse this author
Nakamura, Ichiro Browse this author
Eshita, Yuki Browse this author
Mweene, Aaron S. Browse this author
Namangala, Boniface Browse this author
Sugimoto, Chihiro Browse this author
Yamagishi, Junya Browse this author →KAKEN DB
Keywords: Rickettsia felis
Cat flea
Dogs
Rodents
Zoonosis
Zambia
Issue Date: 11-Apr-2019
Publisher: BioMed Central
Journal Title: Parasites and vectors
Volume: 12
Start Page: 168
Publisher DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3435-6
Abstract: Background: Flea-borne spotted fever is a zoonosis caused by Rickettsia felis, a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium. The disease has a worldwide distribution including western and eastern sub-Saharan Africa where it is associated with febrile illness in humans. However, epidemiology and the public health risks it poses remain neglected especially in developing countries including Zambia. While Ctenocephalides felis (cat fleas) has been suggested to be the main vector, other arthropods including mosquitoes have been implicated in transmission and maintenance of the pathogen; however, their role in the epidemiological cycle remains to be elucidated. Thus, the aim of this study was to detect and characterize R. felis from animal hosts and blood-sucking arthropod vectors in Zambia. Methods: Dog blood and rodent tissue samples as well as cat fleas and mosquitoes were collected from various areas in Zambia. DNA was extracted and screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting genus Rickettsia and amplicons subjected to sequence analysis. Positive samples were further subjected to R. felis-specific real-time quantitative polymerase chain reactions. Results: Rickettsia felis was detected in 4.7% (7/150) of dog blood samples and in 11.3% (12/106) of rodent tissue samples tested by PCR; this species was also detected in 3.7% (2/53) of cat fleas infesting dogs, co-infected with Rickettsia asembonensis. Furthermore, 37.7% (20/53) of cat flea samples tested positive for R. asembonensis, a member of spotted fever group rickettsiae of unknown pathogenicity. All the mosquitoes tested (n = 190 pools) were negative for Rickettsia spp. Conclusions: These observations suggest that R. felis is circulating among domestic dogs and cat fleas as well as rodents in Zambia, posing a potential public health risk to humans. This is because R. felis, a known human pathogen is present in hosts and vectors sharing habitat with humans.
Rights: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Type: article
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2115/75166
Appears in Collections:国際連携研究教育局 : GI-CoRE (Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education : GI-CoRE) > 雑誌発表論文等 (Peer-reviewed Journal Articles, etc)
人獣共通感染症国際共同研究所 (International Institute for Zoonosis Control) > 雑誌発表論文等 (Peer-reviewed Journal Articles, etc)

Submitter: 山岸 潤也

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