Effect of Rickettsia felis Strain Variation on Infection, Transmission, and Fitness in the Cat Flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)

Cat Flea Coinfection with Rickettsia felis and Rickettsia typhi

Purpose: Flea-borne rickettsioses, collectively referred to as a term for etiological agents Rickettsia felis, Rickettsia typhi, and RFLOs (R. felis-like organisms), has become a public health concern around the world, specifically in the United States. Due to a shared arthropod vector (the cat flea) and clinical signs, discriminating between Rickettsia species has proven difficult. While the effects of microbial coinfections in the vector can result in antagonistic or synergistic interrelationships, subsequently altering potential human exposure and disease, the impact of bacterial interactions within flea populations remains poorly defined. Methods: In this study, in vitro and in vivo systems were utilized to assess rickettsial interactions in arthropods. Results: Coinfection of both R. felis and R. typhi within a tick-derived cell line indicated that the two species could infect the same cell, but distinct growth kinetics led to reduced R. felis growth over time, regardless of infection order. Sequential flea coinfections revealed the vector could acquire both Rickettsia spp. and sustain coinfection for up to 2 weeks, but rickettsial loads in coinfected fleas and feces were altered during coinfection. Conclusion: Altered rickettsial loads during coinfection suggest R. felis and R. typhi interactions may enhance the transmission potential of either agent. Thus, this study provides a functional foundation to disentangle transmission events propelled by complex interspecies relationships during vector coinfections.

Vector biology of the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis

Ctenocephalides felis, the cat flea, is among the most prevalent and widely dispersed vectors worldwide. Unfortunately, research on C. felis and associated pathogens (Bartonella and Rickettsia spp.) lags behind that of other vectors and vector-borne pathogens. Therefore, we aimed to review fundamental aspects of C. felis as a vector (behavior, epidemiology, phylogenetics, immunology, and microbiome composition) with an emphasis on key techniques and research avenues employed in other vector species. Future laboratory C. felis experimental infections with Bartonella, Rickettsia, and Wolbachia species/strains should examine the vector-pathogen interface utilizing contemporary visualization, transcriptomic, and gene-editing techniques. Further environmental sampling will inform the range and prevalence of C. felis and associated pathogens, improving the accuracy of vector and pathogen modeling to improve infection/infestation risk assessment and diagnostic recommendations.

Rickettsia felis is an emerging human pathogen associated with cat fleas: A review of findings in Taiwan

Rickettsia felis is an emerging rickettsial agent principally associated with cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis), formerly discovered in 1990. Since then, clinical cases of R. felis infection have been identified globally by specific DNA sequences in patients with undifferentiated febrile illness, including in Taiwan, but such evidence is limited. R. felis rickettsiosis is self-limiting and easily treated with doxycycline, but its diagnosis remains a challenge. Environmental risk factors for R. felis rickettsiosis have yet to be clearly demonstrated, and its transmission biology is incompletely understood. Cat fleas are naturally infected with R. felis at varying rates, and vector competence in the transmission of R. felis has been demonstrated in animal models, including dogs, which may serve as reservoir hosts. In northern Taiwan, despite ∼20% of cat fleas infesting companion animals consistently found to be infected with R. felis, only a few cases of potential R. felis infection have been identified through a retrospective serological investigation, though without molecular confirmation. Ecological studies have identified divergent R. felis-like organisms in different arthropod hosts, but these strains appear to serve as nonpathogenic endosymbionts. Although its association with disease is limited, we believe cat flea-borne R. felis warrants increased recognition in an aging population due to immunosenescence and the proximity of companion animals to the elderly. Adopting a One Health approach involving collaboration and communication between clinicians, veterinarians, public health practitioners, and environmental scientists will improve our knowledge about this neglected pathogen and promote the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases.

Booklice Liposcelis bostrychophila naturally infected by Rickettsia felis cause fever and experimental pneumonia in mammals

BACKGROUND

Rickettsia felis is emergent in tropical areas. Despite its high morbidity, its natural history has not yet been fully determined. We investigated the role of the common household booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila, recently found to harbour R. felis.

METHODS

Blood samples from 372 febrile patients from Senegalese villages, as well as nasal and skin samples from 264 asymptomatic individuals, were tested for cat flea-associated and booklice-associated strains of R. felis. Dust samples from beds were collected to isolate booklice and R. felis. Mice were infected with aerosol of R. felis strain from naturally infected booklice.

RESULTS

Forty febrile patients (11%) were infected by R. felis, including 26 (7%) by the booklice-associated strain. Nine nasal samples (3.4%) and 28 skin samples (10.6%) contained R. felis, including seven and 24, respectively, with the booklice-associated strain. The presence of live L. bostrychophila was observed in 32 dust samples (16.8%); R. felis was identified in 62 dust samples (32.5%). Several mice samples were positive for R. felis; interstitial lymphohistiocytic infiltrates were identified in lungs.

CONCLUSIONS

L. bostrychophila may be a reservoir of R. felis. The booklice-associated strain is pathogenic in mammals causing pneumonia. Human infection may be acquired via inhalation of infected booklice particles.

Unpacking the intricacies of Rickettsia-vector interactions

Although Rickettsia species are molecularly detected among a wide range of arthropods, vector competence becomes an imperative aspect of understanding the ecoepidemiology of these vector-borne diseases. The synergy between vector homeostasis and rickettsial invasion, replication, and release initiated within hours (insects) and days (ticks) permits successful transmission of rickettsiae. Uncovering the molecular interplay between rickettsiae and their vectors necessitates examining the multifaceted nature of rickettsial virulence and vector infection tolerance. Here, we highlight the biological differences between tick- and insect-borne rickettsiae and the factors facilitating the incidence of rickettsioses. Untangling the complex relationship between rickettsial genetics, vector biology, and microbial interactions is crucial in understanding the intricate association between rickettsiae and their vectors.

Effects, interactions, and localization of Rickettsia and Wolbachia in the house fly parasitoid, Spalangia endius

Many insect species harbor facultative microbial symbionts that affect their biology in diverse ways. Here, we studied the effects, interactions, and localization of two bacterial symbionts-Wolbachia and Rickettsia-in the parasitoid Spalangia endius. We crossed between four S. endius colonies-Wolbachia only (W), Rickettsia only (R), both (WR), and none (aposymbiotic, APS) (16 possible crosses) and found that Wolbachia induces incomplete cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), both when the males are W or WR. Rickettsia did not cause reproductive manipulations and did not rescue the Wolbachia-induced CI. However, when R females were crossed with W or WR males, significantly less offspring were produced compared with that of control crosses. In non-CI crosses, the presence of Wolbachia in males caused a significant reduction in offspring numbers. Females' developmental time was significantly prolonged in the R colony, with adults starting to emerge one day later than the other colonies. Other fitness parameters did not differ significantly between the colonies. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization microscopy in females, we found that Wolbachia is localized alongside Rickettsia inside oocytes, follicle cells, and nurse cells in the ovaries. However, Rickettsia is distributed also in muscle cells all over the body, in ganglia, and even in the brain.

Rickettsia felis: A Review of Transmission Mechanisms of an Emerging Pathogen

Rickettsia felis is an emerging pathogen of the transitional group of Rickettsia species and an important cause of febrile illness in Africa. Since the organism’s original discovery in the early 1990s, much research has been directed towards elucidating transmission mechanisms within the primary host and reservoir, the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). Several mechanisms for vertical and horizontal transmission within this vector have been thoroughly described, as well as transmission to other arthropod vectors, including other species of fleas. However, while a growing number of human cases of flea-borne spotted fever are being reported throughout the world, a definitive transmission mechanism from arthropod host to vertebrate host resulting in disease has not been found. Several possible mechanisms, including bite of infected arthropods and association with infectious arthropod feces, are currently being investigated.