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Souza UA, Webster A, Dall'Agnol B, Morel AP, Peters FB, Favarini MO, Mazim FD, Soares JBG, Tirelli FP, Tortato MA, de Lemos ERS, Trigo TC, Soares JF, Reck J. Molecular and Serological Survey of the Cat-Scratch Disease Agent (Bartonella henselae) in Free-Ranging Leopardus geoffroyi and Leopardus wiedii (Carnivora: Felidae) From Pampa Biome, Brazil. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 81:483-492. [PMID: 32974747 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01601-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The genus Bartonella comprises emerging bacteria that affect humans and other mammals worldwide. Felids represent an important reservoir for several Bartonella species. Domestic cats are the main reservoir of Bartonella henselae, the agent of cat scratch disease (CSD). It can be transmitted directly by scratches and bites from infected cats and via cat fleas. This study aims to investigate the circulation of Bartonella spp. in free-ranging Neotropical wild felids from Southern Brazil using serological and molecular methods. In this study, 53 live-trapped free-ranging wild felids were sampled, 39 Leopardus geoffroyi and 14 Leopardus wiedii, from five municipalities in the Rio Grande, do Sul state, southern Brazil. All captured animals were clinically healthy. Two blood samples of L. geoffroyi were positive, by PCR, for the presence of B. henselae DNA. Conversely, none of L. wiedii blood samples were positive when tested using PCR. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) showed that 28% of serum samples of wild felids were reactive (seropositive) for B. henselae by immunofluorescence, with titers ranging from 64 to 256. The results presented here provide the first evidence of a Bartonella-enzootic cycle involving L. geoffroyi and L. wiedii, which may account for the spillover of the emerging zoonotic pathogen B. henselae for the indigenous fauna in Southern Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugo Araújo Souza
- Centro de Pesquisa em Saúde Animal, Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF), Eldorado do Sul, RS, Brazil.
- Laboratório de Protozoologia e Rickettsioses Vetoriais (ProtozooVet), Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Anelise Webster
- Centro de Pesquisa em Saúde Animal, Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF), Eldorado do Sul, RS, Brazil
| | - Bruno Dall'Agnol
- Centro de Pesquisa em Saúde Animal, Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF), Eldorado do Sul, RS, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula Morel
- Centro de Pesquisa em Saúde Animal, Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF), Eldorado do Sul, RS, Brazil
| | - Felipe Bortolotto Peters
- Área de Vida Assessoria e Consultoria em Biologia e Meio Ambiente, Canoas, RS, Brazil
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
| | - Marina Ochoa Favarini
- Área de Vida Assessoria e Consultoria em Biologia e Meio Ambiente, Canoas, RS, Brazil
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
| | - Fábio Dias Mazim
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
- Ka'aguy Consultoria Ambiental, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Flavia Pereira Tirelli
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | | | - Tatiane Campos Trigo
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
- Setor de Mastozoologia, Museu de Ciências Naturais, Secretaria de Meio Ambiente e Infraestrutura (SEMA-RS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - João Fabio Soares
- Laboratório de Protozoologia e Rickettsioses Vetoriais (ProtozooVet), Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - José Reck
- Centro de Pesquisa em Saúde Animal, Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (IPVDF), Eldorado do Sul, RS, Brazil
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