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Seidi S, Tavassoli M, Malekifard F, Ben Said M. Molecular Identification, Multigenic Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of Ctenocephalides Canis Fleas from Humans and Domestic Animals in Iran. Acta Parasitol 2024; 69:1219-1230. [PMID: 38662073 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-024-00846-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fleas belonging to the Pulicidae are prevalent ectoparasites infesting mammals and birds in Iran. This study focused on genetically identifying and characterizing Ctenocephalides canis collected both off-host and infesting humans and various domestic animals in the country. METHODS A total of 918 adult flea samples were collected from 10 sites in western and northwestern Iran between April 2018 and May 2019. Out of these, 71 specimens were found off-host, while the remaining fleas were collected from humans (121), sheep (126), goats (184), and dogs (416). Morphological identification at the genus level was performed on all fleas, and ten selected specimens selected based on the sampling sites and hosts were subjected to molecular detection at the species level by using partial amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2, as well as the cytochrome oxidase I (COXI) markers. RESULTS The morphological identification confirmed all fleas as Ctenocephalides spp. Alignment and phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial partial sequences confirmed the presence of C. canis. However, molecular divergence was observed among the ten isolates based on the ITS1 and ITS2 with diversity rates estimated at 0.15% and 3.36%, respectively. Notably, the analysis of the COXI marker revealed no molecular divergence among the partial sequences representing the ten studied isolates from C. canis. CONCLUSIONS This study explores the diversity of C. canis in the western and northwestern regions of Iran, providing insights into their molecular taxonomy and potential role as disease vectors in these areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Seidi
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran
| | - Mousa Tavassoli
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran.
| | - Farnaz Malekifard
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, West Azerbaijan, Iran
| | - Mourad Ben Said
- Laboratory of Microbiology, National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, Manouba, Tunisia.
- Department of Basic Sciences, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, Manouba, Tunisia.
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Schütte K, Springer A, Brandes F, Reuschel M, Fehr M, Strube C. Ectoparasites of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Germany and their health impact. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:2. [PMID: 38167501 PMCID: PMC10763030 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06081-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is known for high levels of ectoparasitism that not only represents a health risk for the animals themselves, but also for pet animals and humans as hedgehogs are frequently taken into human care. In the present study, patterns of ectoparasite infestation were assessed in hedgehogs taken into care at northern German animal rehabilitation centres. METHODS Ectoparasites (ticks, fleas and mites) of 498 hedgehogs were collected over a period of 3 years from July 2018 to May 2021. Species were identified based on morphological characteristics and also via amplification and sequencing of the partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2 (COX-2) gene for fleas of the family Ceratophyllidae. Seasonal changes in infestation patterns as well as correlations with animal age, body weight and health status were assessed using generalised linear models. RESULTS Infestation with ticks, fleas and mites occurred throughout the year. Overall, 86.5% (431/498) of the examined hedgehogs were infested with ticks, 91.4% (455/498) with fleas and 17.7% (88/498) with mites. Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes hexagonus/Ixodes canisuga were the most common tick species detected, with the additional occurrence of one Ixodes frontalis. Significant seasonal changes were observed for I. ricinus, but not for I. hexagonus/I. canisuga. Additionally, I. ricinus nymph prevalence declined significantly as of 2020, probably as a consequence of the climate change-related drought as of 2018. In hedgehogs with flea infestations, Archaeopsylla erinacei, Ceratophyllus sciurorum, Nosopsyllus fasciatus and Ctenocephalides felis were identified. In all cases of mite infestation, Caparinia tripilis was detected, in addition to specimens of the family Macronyssidae and free-living mites of the family Acaridae. Statistical analyses showed correlations regarding the factors month, year, body weight and age, but no correlation was evident regarding the health status of the animals. CONCLUSIONS With a detected infestation rate of 98.6%, almost all of the examined hedgehogs were infested with at least one ectoparasite species. The seasonal activity patterns of the different ectoparasite species together with the complex annual cycle of hedgehogs lead to different seasonal patterns in ectoparasite prevalence and infestation intensities. Due to the risk of transmission of zoonotic pathogens as well as the possible negative impact on the host itself, hedgehogs should be treated against ectoparasites when taken into care facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolin Schütte
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hanover, Germany
- Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center Sachsenhagen, Sachsenhagen, Germany
| | - Andrea Springer
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hanover, Germany
| | - Florian Brandes
- Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center Sachsenhagen, Sachsenhagen, Germany
| | - Maximilian Reuschel
- Department of Small Mammal, Reptile and Avian Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hanover, Germany
| | - Michael Fehr
- Department of Small Mammal, Reptile and Avian Diseases, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hanover, Germany
| | - Christina Strube
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hanover, Germany.
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Chen B, Liu YF, Lu XY, Jiang DD, Wang X, Zhang QF, Yang GP, Yang X. Complete mitochondrial genome of Ctenophthalmus quadratus and Stenischia humilis in China provides insights into fleas phylogeny. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1255017. [PMID: 37771942 PMCID: PMC10526365 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1255017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Fleas (Order Siphonaptera) are common blood-feeding ectoparasites, which have important economic significance. Limited mitochondrial genome information has impeded the study of flea biology, population genetics and phylogenetics. The Ctenophthalmus quadratus and Stenischia humilis complete mt genomes are described in this study. The samples were collected from Jianchuan, Yunnan plague foci, China. The mt genomes of C. quadratus and S. humilis were 15,938 bp and 15,617 bp, respectively. The gene arrangement of mt genome was consistent with that of other fleas, which include 22 tRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, and two rRNA genes, with a total of 37 genes. The relationship between C. quadratus and S. humilis in fleas was inferred by phylogenetic analysis of mt genome sequence datasets. Phylogenetic analyzes showed that the C. quadratus and S. humilis belonged to different species in the same family, and were closely related to Hystrichopsylla weida qinlingensis in the same family; and revealed that the family Hystrichopsyllidae is paraphyletic, supporting the monophyly of the order Siphonaptera. This study decodes the complete mt genomes of the C. quadratus and S. humilis for the first time. The results demonstrate that the C. quadratus and S. humilis are distinct species, and fleas are monophyletic. Analysis of mt genome provides novel molecular data for further studying the phylogeny and evolution of fleas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Chen
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Ya-fang Liu
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Xin-yan Lu
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Dan-dan Jiang
- School of Public Health, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- Nanchang University Queen Mary School, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Quan-fu Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Clinical Medical College and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
| | - Guo-ping Yang
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Xing Yang
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
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Liu Y, Chen B, Lu X, Liu S, Jiang D, Wang X, Yi L, Li R, Zhang Q, Wu L, Yang X. Analysis of complete mitogenomes and phylogenetic relationships of Frontopsylla spadix and Neopsylla specialis. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1250381. [PMID: 37745207 PMCID: PMC10513422 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1250381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Fleas represent a group of paramount medical significance, subsisting on blood and acting as vectors for an array of naturally occurring diseases. These pathogens constitute essential elements within the plague biome, exerting deleterious effects on both human and livestock health. In this study, we successfully assembled and sequenced the whole mitochondrial genome of Frontopsylla spadix and Neopsylla specialis using long-range PCR and next-generation sequencing technologies. The mitogenomes of F. spadix and N. specialis both have 37 genes with full lengths of 15,085 bp and 16,820 bp, respectively. The topology of the phylogenetic tree elucidates that species F. spadix is clustered in a branch alongside other members of the family Leptopsyllidae, whereas species N. specialis is a sister taxon to Dorcadia ioffi and Hystrichopsylla weida qinlingensis. It also suggests that Pulicidae form a monophyletic clade, Ctenopthalmidae, Hystrichopsyllidae, Vermipsyllidae form a sister group to Ceratophyllidae/Leptopsyllidae group. The mitochondrial genomes of F. spadix and N. specialis were sequenced for the first time, which will contribute to a more comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the Siphonaptera order. The foundation for subsequent systematic studies, and molecular biology of fleas was established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafang Liu
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Bin Chen
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Xinyan Lu
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Dandan Jiang
- School of Public Health, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- Queen Mary School, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Lin Yi
- College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Rongyu Li
- College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Quanfu Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Clinical Medical College and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Sichuan, China
| | - Lixian Wu
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Xing Yang
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
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Liu Y, Chen B, Lu X, Jiang D, Wang T, Geng L, Zhang Q, Yang X. Complete mitogenomes characterization and phylogenetic analyses of Ceratophyllus anisus and Leptopsylla segnis. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1218488. [PMID: 37396998 PMCID: PMC10312373 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1218488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Fleas are one of the most common ectoparasites in warm-blooded mammals and an important vector of zoonotic diseases with serious medical implications. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes of Ceratophyllus anisus and Leptopsylla segnis for the first time using high-throughput sequencing and constructed phylogenetic relationships. We obtained double-stranded circular molecules of lengths 15,875 and 15,785 bp, respectively, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs, and two control regions. AT-skew was negative in both C. anisus (-0.022) and L. segnis (-0.231), while GC-skew was positive in both (0.024/0.248), which produced significant differences in codon usage and amino acid composition. Thirteen PCGs encoding 3,617 and 3,711 codons, respectively, isoleucine and phenylalanine were used most frequently. The tRNA genes all form a typical secondary structure. Construction of phylogenetic trees based on Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods for PCGs. The results of this study provide new information for the mitochondrial genome database of fleas and support further taxonomic studies and population genetics of fleas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafang Liu
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Bin Chen
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Xinyan Lu
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Dandan Jiang
- School of Public Health, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Ling Geng
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Quanfu Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Clinical Medical College and The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xing Yang
- Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China
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Peter N, Dörge DD, Cunze S, Schantz AV, Skaljic A, Rueckert S, Klimpel S. Raccoons contraband - The metazoan parasite fauna of free-ranging raccoons in central Europe. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2023; 20:79-88. [PMID: 36688078 PMCID: PMC9852791 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The invasive raccoon (Procyon lotor) is an abundant carnivore and considered as an important potential vector of infectious diseases and parasites in Europe. Raccoons show a broad, opportunistic, omnivorous food spectrum. Food supply and habitat quality in urban areas are very attractive for the generalist raccoon. This inevitably leads to increased interaction with humans, domestic animals and livestock, making the raccoon a potentially suitable zoonosis vector. In its autochthonous range, especially in the Eastern and Midwestern United States, the raccoon has been studied very intensively since the beginning of the 20th century. Whereas, basic field biology and parasitology studies in Germany and Europe are lacking and have only been conducted sporadically, regionally and on small sample sizes. In the presented study 234 raccoons from central Germany were comprehensively examined for their metazoan parasite fauna. The present study shows for the first time an extremely diverse parasite fauna in raccoons outside their native range and proves their essential role as intermediate hosts and hosts for ecto- and endoparasites. A total of 23 different parasite species were identified, five of which are human pathogens, 14 of which are new for the parasite fauna of raccoons in Europe. The human pathogenic raccoon roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis is the most common parasite species in this study, with a prevalence of up to 95%. The digenetic trematode Plagiorchis muris, another human pathogenic parasite species, was detected for the first time in raccoons. The ongoing spread of invasive carnivores and the associated spread and transmission of their parasites and other pathogens increases the potential health risk of wild and farmed animals as well as humans. An increase in parasitic diseases in humans (e.g. raccoon roundworm) is to be expected, especially in urban areas, where raccoons are becoming more and more abundant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Peter
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, Frankfurt, Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Dorian D. Dörge
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, Frankfurt, Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Sarah Cunze
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, Frankfurt, Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Anna V. Schantz
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, Frankfurt, Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Ajdin Skaljic
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, Frankfurt, Main, D-60438, Germany
| | - Sonja Rueckert
- School of Applied Sciences and Center for Conservation and Restoration Science, Edinburgh Napier University, Sighthill Campus, Sighthill Court, Edinburgh, EH11 1HX, UK
| | - Sven Klimpel
- Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, Frankfurt, Main, D-60438, Germany,Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt, Main, D-60325, Germany,LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG), Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325, Frankfurt, Main, Germany,Corresponding author. Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe-University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 13, Frankfurt, Main, D-60439, Germany.
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Amugune BL, Matharu AK, Ouma P, Mutebi F, Elson L, Fillinger U, Krücken J. Cost-Effective PCR-Based Identification of Tunga penetrans (Siphonaptera) Larvae Extracted from Soil Samples Containing PCR Inhibitor-Rich Material. INSECTS 2022; 14:5. [PMID: 36661934 PMCID: PMC9865934 DOI: 10.3390/insects14010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Tungiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by skin-penetrating female Tunga penetrans fleas. Although tungiasis causes severe health problems, its ecology is poorly understood and morphological descriptions of the larvae are unavailable. To identify T. penetrans immature stages and sites where they develop, diagnostic PCRs are required. However, flea larvae feed on soil organic matter rich in PCR inhibitors. Here, three DNA preparation methods, including a soil DNA kit that removes inhibitors, a simple ammonium acetate precipitation approach (AmAcet) and a crude lysate of larvae (CL), were combined with amplification by the highly processive FIREPol® Taq or the inhibitor-resistant Phusion® polymerase. Independent of the polymerase used, the frequency of successful amplification, Cq values and PCR efficacies for the low-cost CL and AmAcet methods were superior to the commercial kit for amplification of a 278 bp partial internal transcribed spacer-2 (ITS-2) and a 730 bp pan-Siphonaptera cytochrome oxidase II PCR. For the CL method combined with Phusion® polymerase, the costs were approximately 20-fold lower than for the methods based on the soil DNA kit, which is a considerable advantage in resource-poor settings. The ITS-2 PCR did not amplify Ctenocephalides felis genomic or Tunga trimammilata ITS-2 plasmid DNA, meaning it can be used to specifically identify T. penetrans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Billy L. Amugune
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Human Health Theme, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Abneel K. Matharu
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Human Health Theme, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Ouma
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Human Health Theme, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Francis Mutebi
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala 10218, Uganda
| | - Lynne Elson
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi 80108, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Ulrike Fillinger
- International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Human Health Theme, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Jürgen Krücken
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany
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Güvendi M, Can H, Köseoğlu AE, Erkunt Alak S, Kandemir Ç, Taşkın T, Sürgeç E, Demir S, Değirmenci Döşkaya A, Karakavuk M, Gül A, Döşkaya M, Gürüz AY, Ün C. Investigation of the genetic diversity and flea-borne pathogens in Ctenocephalides felis samples collected from goats in İzmir and Şanlıurfa provinces of Turkey. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2022; 90-91:101896. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2022.101896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Byers KA, Lee MJ, Hill JE, Fernando C, Speerin L, Donovan CM, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. Culling of Urban Norway Rats and Carriage of Bartonella spp. Bacteria, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Emerg Infect Dis 2022; 28:1659-1663. [PMID: 35876624 PMCID: PMC9328906 DOI: 10.3201/eid2808.211164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the effects of culling on Bartonella spp. bacteria carriage among urban rats in Canada. We found that the odds of Bartonella spp. carriage increased across city blocks except those in which culling occurred. Removing rats may have prevented an increase in Bartonella spp. prevalence, potentially lowering human health risks.
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Zhang Y, Nie Y, Li LY, Chen SY, Liu GH, Liu W. Population genetics and genetic variation of Ctenocephalides felis and Pulex irritans in China by analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:266. [PMID: 35897029 PMCID: PMC9327250 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05393-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Fleas are the most economically significant blood-feeding ectoparasites worldwide. Ctenocephalides felis and Pulex irritans can parasitize various animals closely related to humans and are of high veterinary significance. Methods In this study, 82 samples were collected from 7 provinces of China. Through studying the nuclear genes ITS1 and EF-1α and two different mitochondrial genes cox1 and cox2, the population genetics and genetic variation of C. felis and P. irritans in China were further investigated. Results The intraspecies differences between C. felis and P. irritans ranged from 0 to 3.9%. The interspecific variance in the EF-1α, cox1, and cox2 sequences was 8.2–18.3%, while the ITS1 sequence was 50.1–52.2%. High genetic diversity was observed in both C. felis and P. irritans, and the nucleotide diversity of cox1 was higher than that of cox2. Moderate gene flow was detected in the C. felis and P. irritans populations. Both species possessed many haplotypes, but the haplotype distribution was uneven. Fu's Fs and Tajima's D tests showed that C. felis and P. irritans experienced a bottleneck effect in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Henan province. Evolutionary analysis suggested that C. felis may have two geographical lineages in China, while no multiple lineages of P.irritans were found. Conclusions Using sequence comparison and the construction of phylogenetic trees, we found a moderate amount of gene flow in the C. felis and P. irritans populations. Both species possessed many haplotypes, but the distribution of haplotypes varied among the provinces. Fu’s Fs and Tajima’s D tests indicated that both species had experienced a bottleneck effect in Guangxi and Henan provinces. Evolutionary analysis suggested that C. felis may have two geographical lineages in China, while no multiple lineages of P.irritans were found. This study will help better understand fleas' population genetics and evolutionary biology. Graphical Abstract ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Yu Nie
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Le-Yan Li
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Shu-Yu Chen
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China
| | - Guo-Hua Liu
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China.
| | - Wei Liu
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China. .,The Key Laboratory of Animal Vaccine & Protein Engineering, Changsha, 410128, Hunan, China.
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Zhang Y, Fu YT, Yao C, Deng YP, Nie Y, Liu GH. Mitochondrial phylogenomics provides insights into the taxonomy and phylogeny of fleas. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:223. [PMID: 35733168 PMCID: PMC9215091 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05334-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites of humans and animals and serve as vectors of many disease-causing agents. Despite past and current research efforts on fleas due to their medical and veterinary importance, correct identification and robust phylogenetic analysis of these ectoparasites have often proved challenging. Methods We decoded the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of the human flea Pulex irritans and nearly complete mt genome of the dog flea Ctenocephalides canis, and subsequently used this information to reconstruct the phylogeny of fleas among Endopterygota insects. Results The complete mt genome of P. irritans was 20,337 bp, whereas the clearly sequenced coding region of the C. canis mt genome was 15,609 bp. Both mt genomes were found to contain 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and two ribosomal RNA genes. The coding region of the C. canis mt genome was only 93.5% identical to that of the cat flea C. felis, unequivocally confirming that they are distinct species. Our phylogenomic analyses of the mt genomes showed a sister relationship between the order Siphonaptera and orders Diptera + Mecoptera + Megaloptera + Neuroptera and positively support the hypothesis that the fleas in the order Siphonaptera are monophyletic. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the mt genomes of P. irritans and C. canis are different. The phylogenetic tree shows that fleas are monophyletic and strongly support an order-level objective. These mt genomes provide novel molecular markers for studying the taxonomy and phylogeny of fleas in the future. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-022-05334-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan province, China
| | - Yi-Tian Fu
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan province, China
| | - Chaoqun Yao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 334, Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis
| | - Yuan-Ping Deng
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan province, China
| | - Yu Nie
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan province, China
| | - Guo-Hua Liu
- Research Center for Parasites & Vectors, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, Hunan province, China.
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12
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Zurita A, Cutillas C. Combination of nuclear and mitochondrial markers as a useful tool to identify Ctenophthalmus species and subspecies (Siphonaptera: Ctenophthalmidae). ORG DIVERS EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-021-00500-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCtenophthalmus is considered the largest genus within the Order Siphonaptera. From a morphological point of view, only males of this genus can be identified at species and subspecies levels using morphological keys, whereas there are no morphological criteria in order to classify females at these taxonomical levels. Furthermore, the amount of available molecular and phylogenetic data for this genus is quite scarce so far. The main objective of this work was to assess the utility of the combination of nuclear and mitochondrial markers with respect to their ability to differentiate among different subspecies within the Ctenophthalmus genus. With this purpose, we carried out a comparative morphological and molecular study of three different subspecies (Ctenophthalmus baeticus arvernus, Ctenophthalmus nobilis dobyi, and Ctenophthalmus andorrensis catalaniensis) in order to clarify and discuss its taxonomic status. In addition, our study complemented the molecular data previously provided for Ctenophthalmus baeticus boisseauorum and Ctenophthalmus apertus allani subspecies. We sequenced five different molecular markers: EF1-α, ITS1, ITS2, cox1, and cytb. Our results confirmed that morphological data by themselves are not able to discriminate among Ctenophthalmus female taxa; however, the combination of the nuclear marker EF1-α together with mtDNA markers cytb and cox1 constituted a useful taxonomical and phylogenetic tool to solve this issue. Based on these results, we consider that the use of this molecular approach should be gradually used within Ctenophthalmus genus in order to complement its classical taxonomy and clarifying the complex taxonomy of other congeneric species of fleas.
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13
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Cevidanes A, Ulloa-Contreras C, Di Cataldo S, Latrofa MS, Gonzalez-Acuña D, Otranto D, Millán J. Marked host association and molecular evidence of limited transmission of ticks and fleas between sympatric wild foxes and rural dogs. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 35:239-250. [PMID: 33772813 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Wild and domestic carnivores share ectoparasites, although molecular evidence is lacking. The goals of this study were to describe tick and flea infestation in sympatric free-ranging dogs Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Carnivora: Canidae) and Andean foxes Lycalopex culpaeus (Molina, 1782) (Carnivora: Canidae) and to determine whether interspecific transmission occurs. Fleas and ticks retrieved from 79 foxes and 111 dogs in the human-dominated landscapes of central Chile were identified and a subset of specimens characterized by PCR and amplicon sequencing. Each ectoparasite species was clearly associated with a host: abundance and occurrence of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille 1806) (Acari: Ixodidae) and Ctenocephalides spp. (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) were significantly higher in dogs than in foxes, whereas the opposite was true for Amblyomma tigrinum (Koch, 1844) (Acari: Ixodidae) and Pulex irritans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). Genetic analyses of a subset of ectoparasites revealed that dogs and foxes shared a limited number of nucleotide sequence types, suggesting that the interspecific transmission of these ectoparasites happens infrequently. Data also indicated that the ecological association and biological cycles of ticks and fleas determine the ectoparasite fauna of sympatric carnivores. In conclusion, our study shows that cross-species transmission should be assessed at a molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cevidanes
- Department of Animal Health. NEIKER-Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development. Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Bizkaia, Derio, Spain
- Programa de Doctorado en Medicina de la Conservación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - C Ulloa-Contreras
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile
| | - S Di Cataldo
- Programa de Doctorado en Medicina de la Conservación, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - M S Latrofa
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Bari, Italy
| | - D Gonzalez-Acuña
- Laboratorio de Parásitos y Enfermedades en Fauna Silvestre, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad de Concepción, Chillán, Chile
| | - D Otranto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari 'Aldo Moro', Bari, Italy
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran
| | - J Millán
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón-IA2 (Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA), Zaragoza, Spain
- Fundación ARAID, Zaragoza, Spain
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14
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Mohammadi S, Lutermann H, Hoffmann S, Emami-Khoyi A, Webster HJ, Fagir D, Bennett NC, van Vuuren BJ. MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PLAGUE VECTOR XENOPSYLLA BRASILIENSIS. J Parasitol 2021; 107:289-294. [PMID: 33844840 DOI: 10.1645/20-44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Members of the flea family Pulicidae have been the focus of many studies due to their significance as diseases vectors of medical and veterinary importance and their cosmopolitan distribution. They often exhibit variation in morphological features that can make correct species identification and management challenging. This may also apply to Xenopsylla brasiliensis (Baker, 1904), an important plague vector. In the current study, we aimed to provide genetic tools for reliable species identification using a DNA barcoding approach. A total of 73 flea specimens was collected from a native host (Namaqua rock mouse, Micaelamys namaquensis) in South Africa and identified morphologically. In addition, we took measurements of 7 morphological characteristics. Subsequently, we successfully generated barcodes of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene for X. brasiliensis. We validated this approach by comparing our data to COI sequences from Rwandan X. brasiliensis. While sequences from both regions suggested a close relationship between the 2 X. brasiliensis populations, both haplotype and nucleotide diversity were substantially larger for the South African specimens. This may be attributed to human-assisted spread, differences in habitat, and/or host species sampled and merits further study in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeed Mohammadi
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Heike Lutermann
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Sasha Hoffmann
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Arsalan Emami-Khoyi
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Heather J Webster
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Dina Fagir
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Nigel C Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Bettine Jansen van Vuuren
- Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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15
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Zhang Y, Nie Y, Deng YP, Liu GH, Fu YT. The complete mitochondrial genome sequences of the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) support the hypothesis that C. felis isolates from China and USA were the same C. f. felis subspecies. Acta Trop 2021; 217:105880. [PMID: 33662336 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The cat flea Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) is the most important ectoparasite in cats and dogs worldwide. Over the years, there has been much dispute regarding the taxonomic and systematic status of C. felis. Mitochondrial (mt) genome sequences are useful genetic markers for the identification and differentiation of ectoparasites, but the mt genome of C. felis and its subspecies has not yet been entirely characterized. In the present study, the entire mt genome of C. f. felis from China was sequenced and compared with that of C. felis from the USA. Both contain 37 genes and a long non-coding region of >6 kbp. The molecular identity between the Chinese and American isolates was 99%, except for the non-coding region. The protein-coding genes showed differences at both the nucleotide (1.2%) and amino acid (1%) levels. Interestingly, the cox1 gene of the Chinese isolate had an unusual putative start codon (TTT). Taken together, our analyses strongly support the hypothesis that C. felis isolates from China and the USA were the same C. f. felis subspecies. The mt genome sequence of the C. f. felis China isolate presented in this study provides useful molecular markers to further address the taxonomy and systematics of C. felis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Engineering in Animal Vaccines, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410128, China
| | - Yu Nie
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Engineering in Animal Vaccines, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410128, China
| | - Yuan-Ping Deng
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Engineering in Animal Vaccines, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410128, China
| | - Guo-Hua Liu
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Engineering in Animal Vaccines, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410128, China; Hunan Co-Innovation Center of Animal Production Safety, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410128, China.
| | - Yi-Tian Fu
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Protein Engineering in Animal Vaccines, College of Veterinary Medicine, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan Province, 410128, China.
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16
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Barradas PF, Mesquita JR, Mateus TL, Ferreira P, Amorim I, Gärtner F, de Sousa R. Molecular detection of Rickettsia spp. in ticks and fleas collected from rescued hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) in Portugal. EXPERIMENTAL & APPLIED ACAROLOGY 2021; 83:449-460. [PMID: 33655451 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-021-00600-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Hedgehogs (e.g., Erinaceus europaeus, E. roumanicus) are wild mammals that frequently are observed near residential areas. The aim of this study was to investigate ticks and fleas collected from European hedgehogs in Portugal and to evaluate the prevalence of Rickettsia in those ectoparasites. Ticks and fleas were identified by morphological and molecular methods, and molecular detection by PCR and genotypic characterization of Rickettsia spp. was performed targeting ompB, ompA and gltA gene fragments. In total, 1892 ticks and 213 fleas were collected from 33 rescued European hedgehogs captured in seven districts of the north and centre of Portugal. Two tick species were identified - Rhipicephalus sanguineus accounted for 91 % (n = 1719) of the total ticks collected and 9 % (n = 173) were Ixodes hexagonus. All fleas were identified as Archaeopsylla erinacei. Regarding pathogen detection, Rickettsia massiliae DNA was found in 22 of the 212 tested Rh. sanguineus. None of the 48 I. hexagonus tested showed to be positive for rickettsiae. Rickettsia asembonensis DNA was identified in 55 A. erinacei fleas tested (n = 117). These results show that European hedgehogs are exposed to R. massiliae transmitted by ticks and to R. asembonensis via fleas suggesting that these mammals might be involved in the natural transmission cycle of these Rickettsia species. This study is the first report of R. asembonensis in fleas in Portugal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia F Barradas
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology (IPATIMUP), University of Porto, Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - João R Mesquita
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Teresa L Mateus
- Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Escola Superior Agrária, CISAS Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Viana Do Castelo, Portugal
| | - Paula Ferreira
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Irina Amorim
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology (IPATIMUP), University of Porto, Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, R. Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Fátima Gärtner
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology (IPATIMUP), University of Porto, Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho 45, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, R. Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rita de Sousa
- National Institute of Health, Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Av. Da Liberdade n 5, 2965-575, Águas de Moura, Portugal.
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17
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Fang K, Philpot K, Chi X, Ketzis J, Du A, Yao C. Small Indian Mongooses ( Herpestes auropunctatus) Serve As Reservoirs of Bartonella henselae and Rickettsia felis Vectored by Ctenocephalides felis. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2021; 21:422-431. [PMID: 33646062 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Small Indian mongooses (SIMs, Herpestes auropunctatus) have invasively inhabited over 60 islands worldwide. They have been confirmed as a reservoir of rabies, leptospirosis, and salmonellosis; however, their role in the epidemiology of other zoonoses is little known. On St. Kitts, as well as other islands, SIMs harbor Ctenocephalides felis, which can vector several zoonotic diseases. In this study, SIMs were examined for fleas, and the collected fleas analyzed by PCR and DNA sequencing for Bartonella henselae, Rickettsia felis, Yersinia pestis, and Dipylidium caninum. Of the 87 SIMs, 75 (86.2%) harbored C. felis. C. felis recovered from nine (10.3%), one (1.1%), and one (1.1%) of the SIMs was positive for B. henselae, R. felis, and D. caninum, respectively. These data indicate that SIMs serve as an additional reservoir of B. henselae and R. felis, which should be taken into consideration in control and prevention of these rapidly emerging zoonoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kexin Fang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, West Indies
| | - Kaitlyn Philpot
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, West Indies
| | - Xinyu Chi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, West Indies
| | - Jennifer Ketzis
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, West Indies
| | - Aifang Du
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chaoqun Yao
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and One Health Center for Zoonoses and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, West Indies
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18
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Azrizal-Wahid N, Sofian-Azirun M, Low VL. Flea-borne pathogens in the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis and their association with mtDNA diversity of the flea host. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2021; 75:101621. [PMID: 33609991 DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2021.101621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Flea-borne pathogens were screened from 100 individual cat fleas using a PCR approach, of which 38 % were infected with at least one bacterium. Overall, 28 % of the flea samples were positive for Bartonella as inferred from ITS DNA region. Of these, 25 % (7/28) were identified as Bartonella clarridgeiae, 42.9 % (12/28) as Bartonella henselae consisted of two different strains, and 32.1 % (9/28) as Bartonella koehlerae, which was detected for the first time in Malaysia. Sequencing of gltA amplicons detected Rickettsia DNA in 14 % of cat flea samples, all of them identified as Rickettsia asembonensis (100 %). None of the flea samples were positive for Mycoplasma DNA in 16S rRNA gene detection. Four fleas were co-infected with Bartonella and Rickettsia DNAs. Statistical analyses reveal no significant association between bacterial infection and mtDNA diversity of the cat flea. Nevertheless, in all types of pathogen infections, infected populations demonstrated lower nucleotide and haplotype diversities compared to uninfected populations. Moreover, lower haplotype numbers were observed in infected populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noor Azrizal-Wahid
- Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC), Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Sofian-Azirun
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Van Lun Low
- Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC), Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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19
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Zurita A, García-Sánchez ÁM, Cutillas C. Ctenophthalmus baeticus boisseauorum (Beaucournu, 1968) and Ctenophthalmus apertus allani (Smit, 1955) (Siphonaptera: Ctenophthalmidae) as synonymous taxa: morphometric, phylogenetic, and molecular characterization. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 110:663-676. [PMID: 32338249 DOI: 10.1017/s0007485320000127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The family Ctenophthalmidae (Order Siphonaptera) has been considered as a 'catchall' for a wide range of divergent taxa showing a paraphyletic origin. In turn, Ctenophthalmus sp. (Ctenophthalmidae) includes 300 valid described taxa. Within this genus, males are easily distinguishable basing on the size, shape, and chaetotaxy of their genitalia; however, females show slight morphological differences with each other. The main objective of this work was to carry out a comparative morphometric, phylogenetic, and molecular study of two different subspecies: Ctenophthalmus baeticus boisseauorum and Ctenophthalmus apertus allani in order to clarify and discuss its taxonomic status. From a morphological and biometrical point of view, we found clear differences between modified abdominal segments of males of both subspecies and slight differences in the margin of sternum VII of all female specimens which did not correspond with molecular and phylogenetic results based on four different molecular markers (Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 and 2 of ribosomal DNA, and the partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and cytochrome b of mitochondrial DNA). Thus, we observed a phenotypic plasticity between both subspecies, which did not correspond with a real genotypic variability nor different environmental or ecological conditions. Basing on these results, we could consider that there are no solid arguments to consider these two 'morphosubspecies' as two different taxa. We propose that C. b. boisseauorum should be considered as a junior synonym of C. a. allani.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Zurita
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Profesor García González 2, 41012Seville, Spain
| | - Ángela María García-Sánchez
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Profesor García González 2, 41012Seville, Spain
| | - Cristina Cutillas
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Profesor García González 2, 41012Seville, Spain
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20
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Himsworth CG, Byers KA, Fernando C, Speerin L, Lee MJ, Hill JE. When the Sum of the Parts Tells You More Than the Whole: The Advantage of Using Metagenomics to Characterize Bartonella spp. Infections in Norway Rats ( Rattus norvegicus) and Their Fleas. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:584724. [PMID: 33195611 PMCID: PMC7658385 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.584724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) are a reservoir for Bartonella spp. - a genus of zoonotic bacteria transmitted by hematophagous vectors, particularly fleas. Rats and fleas may be infected with more than one Bartonella species; however, mixed infections may be difficult to detect using culture and/or mono-locus PCR. We set out to characterize Bartonella spp. using gltA PCR and Sanger sequencing on blood (n = 480) and Nosopsyllus fasciatus flea pools (n = 200) obtained from a population of urban Norways rats from Vancouver, Canada. However, when contamination of a subset of flea pools necessitated the use of a second target (ssrA) and the results of gltA and ssrA were discordant, a metagenomic approach was used to better characterize the Bartonella spp. present in these samples and our objective transitioned to comparing data obtained via metagenomics to those from PCR/sequencing. Among the Bartonella spp.-positive rats (n = 95), 52 (55.3%), and 41 (43.6%) had Sanger sequences consistent with Bartonella tribocorum and Bartonella vinsonii, respectively. One rat had a mixed infection. All sequences from Bartonella spp.-positive flea pools (n = 85), were consistent with B. tribocorum, and re-analysis of 34 bloods of varying Bartonella spp. infection status (based gltA PCR and sequencing) using ssrA PCR showed that the assay was capable of identifying B. tribocorum but not B. vinsonii. Metagenomics analysis of a subset of PCR-positive blood samples (n = 70) and flea pools (n = 24) revealed that both B. tribocorum and B. vinsonii were circulating widely in the study population with 31/70 (44.3%) rats and 5/24 (2.1%) flea pools infected with both species. B. vinsonii, however, made up a smaller relative proportion of the reads for samples with mixed infections, which may be why it was generally not detected by genus-specific PCR and Sanger sequencing. Further analysis of 16S−23S ITS sequences amplified from a subset of samples identified the B. vinsonii strain as B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii type II. This demonstrates the value of a metagenomic approach for better characterizing the ecology and health risks associated with this bacterium, particularly given that the less dominant species, B. vinsonii is associated with greater pathogenicity in people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea G Himsworth
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative-British Columbia, Abbotsford, BC, Canada.,School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Animal Health Center, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Abbotsford, BC, Canada
| | - Kaylee A Byers
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative-British Columbia, Abbotsford, BC, Canada.,Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Biodiversity Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Champika Fernando
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Laura Speerin
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Michael J Lee
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative-British Columbia, Abbotsford, BC, Canada.,School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Janet E Hill
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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21
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Erkunt Alak S, Köseoğlu AE, Kandemir Ç, Taşkın T, Demir S, Döşkaya M, Ün C, Can H. High frequency of knockdown resistance mutations in the para gene of cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) samples collected from goats. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:2067-2073. [PMID: 32468188 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06714-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Fleas are ectoparasites of mammals and birds. In livestock such as sheep and goat, flea bites cause many clinical signs. Several types of insecticides including pyrethroids are used to struggle against fleas. The widespread use of these insecticides causes an increase in the number of resistant individuals in flea populations. T929V and L1014F mutations corresponding to pyrethroid resistance have been found in the para gene of cat fleas. We aimed to investigate T929V and L1014F mutations in flea samples (n:162) collected from goats in seven different farms where cypermethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid, had been used intensively. To achieve this aim, collected flea samples were morphologically identified under a stereo microscope and DNA isolation was conducted by HotSHOT method. Later, a bi-PASA targeting the para gene was applied to identify both mutations in corresponding samples. According to the results obtained, all fleas were Ctenocephalides felis. Frequencies of T929V and L1014F mutations in fleas were 92.6% (150/162) and 95.7% (155/162), respectively. In conclusion, the frequency of mutations related to pyrethroid resistance was very high in the fleas collected from all the farms and it was thought that the high frequency of these mutations can be attributed to intensive use of pyrethroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sedef Erkunt Alak
- Molecular Biology Section, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35040, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Ahmet Efe Köseoğlu
- Molecular Biology Section, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35040, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Çağrı Kandemir
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University, 35040, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Turğay Taşkın
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University, 35040, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Samiye Demir
- Zoology Section, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35040, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Mert Döşkaya
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, 35100, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Cemal Ün
- Molecular Biology Section, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35040, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Hüseyin Can
- Molecular Biology Section, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35040, İzmir, Turkey.
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Azrizal-Wahid N, Sofian-Azirun M, Low VL. New insights into the haplotype diversity of the cosmopolitan cat flea Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). Vet Parasitol 2020; 281:109102. [PMID: 32289653 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated the genetic profile of the cosmopolitan cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) from Malaysia and the reference data available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank. A set of sequences of 100 Malaysian samples aligned as 550 characters of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and 706 characters of the II (cox2) genes revealed ten haplotypes (A1-A10) and eight haplotypes (B1-B8), respectively. The concatenated sequences of cox1 and cox2 genes with a total of 1256 characters revealed 15 haplotypes (AB1-AB15). Analyses indicated that haplotype AB1 was the most frequent and the most widespread haplotype in Malaysia. Overall haplotype and nucleotide diversities of the concatenated sequences were 0.52909 and 0.00424, respectively, with moderate genetic differentiation (FST = 0.17522) and high gene flow (Nm = 1.18). The western population presented the highest genetic diversity (Hd = 0.78333, Pi = 0.01269, Nh = 9), whereas the southern population demonstrated the lowest diversity (Hd = 0.15667, Pi = 0.00019, Nh = 3). The concatenated sequences showed genetic distances ranged from 0.08 % to 4.39 %. There were three aberrant haplotypes in cox2 sequences that highly divergent, suggesting the presence of cryptic species or occurrence of introgression. In the global point of view, the aligned sequences of C. felis revealed 65 haplotypes (AA1-AA65) by the cox1 gene (n = 586), and 27 haplotypes (BB1-BB27) by the cox2 gene (n = 204). Mapping of the haplotype network showed that Malaysian C. felis possesses seven unique haplotypes in both genes with the common haplotypes demonstrated genetic affinity with C. felis from Southeast Asia for cox1 and South America for cox2. The topologies of cox1 and cox2 phylogenetic trees were concordant with relevant grouping pattern of haplotypes in the network but revealed two major lineages by which Malaysian haplotypes were closely related with haplotypes from the tropical region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noor Azrizal-Wahid
- Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC), University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - Mohd Sofian-Azirun
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Van Lun Low
- Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC), University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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23
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Zurita A, Callejón R, García-Sánchez ÁM, Urdapilleta M, Lareschi M, Cutillas C. Origin, evolution, phylogeny and taxonomy of Pulex irritans. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 33:296-311. [PMID: 30739354 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The human flea Pulex irritans Linnaeus, 1758 (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) is one of the most studied species together with the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis Bouché, 1835, because they have a cosmopolitan distribution and are closely related to humans. The present study aimed to carry out a comparative morphometric and molecular study of two different populations of P. irritans (Spain and Argentina). Accordingly, internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1 and ITS2 of rDNA and the partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and cytochrome b (cytb) mtDNA genes of these taxa were sequenced. Furthermore, the taxonomy, origin, evolution and phylogeny of P. irritans was assessed. The morphometric data obtained did not show significant differences between P. irritans specimens from Spain and Argentina, even when these two populations were collected from different hosts; however, there was a considerable degree of molecular divergence between both populations based on nuclear and mitochondrial markers. Thus, it is proposed that P. irritans, in contrast with other generalist fleas, maintains a certain degree of morphological similarity, at least between Western Palearctic and Neotropical areas. Furthermore, two well defined geographical genetic lineages within the P. irritans species are indicated, suggesting the existence of two cryptic species that could be discriminated by a polymerase chain reaction-linked restriction fragment length polymorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Zurita
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - R Callejón
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Á M García-Sánchez
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - M Urdapilleta
- National Institute of Tropical Medicine (INMET), Neuquén y Jujuy s/n, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
| | - M Lareschi
- Center of Parasitology and Vectors Studies (CEPAVE) (CONICET CCT La Plata-UNPL), La Plata, Argentina
| | - C Cutillas
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
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