Prevalence and diversity of Bartonella species in ectoparasites from wild-caught rodents and domestic animals in the Northern and Northeastern regions of Thailand

Prevalence and diversity of Bartonella species in ectoparasites from wild-caught rodents and domestic animals in the Northern and Northeastern regions of Thailand

International Conference on Zoology, Microbiology & Medical Parasitology
October 30-November 01, 2017 | Chicago, USA

Ratree Takhampunya

Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Thailand

Posters & Accepted Abstracts : J Parasit Dis Diagn Ther

Abstract:

Ectoparasites are thought to be the important vectors of Bartonella transmission among animals, including humans. The Bartonella prevalence and species diversity in several types of ectoparasites (ticks, fleas, chiggers, and lice) collected from rodents and domestic animals (cats, dogs, cattle, and chickens) were investigated in this study. The surveillance study was conducted in 2 regions, 4 provinces; 2 provinces from the Northern region (Nan and Mae Hong Son) and 2 provinces from the Northeastern region (Loei and Nong Bua Lam Phu) during September 2013 to October 2014. Overall, a total of 539 pooled ectoparasites (102 fleas pools, 80 ticks pools, 6 lice pools, and 351 chiggers pools) were collected from wild-caught rodents and a total of 650 pooled ectoparasites (384 fleas pools, 213 ticks pools and 53 lice pools) were collected form domestic animals. Realtime PCR assay with TaqMan probe targeting Bartonellaspecific ssrA gene was used for Bartonella DNA detection. Amplification of Bartonella gltA gene was confirmed using published primers, CS443f and CS1210r. Fleas were the major ectoparasites collected from domestic animals (59.0%), followed by ticks (32.8%), and lice (8.2%). Chiggers were the most common ectoparasites collected from rodents (65.1%), followed by fleas (18.9%), ticks (14.9%) and lice (1.1%). Bartonella DNA was detected in all ectoparasites types. Among ectoparasites collected from rodents, the highest prevalence of Bartonella DNA was found in fleas pools (24.5%, 25/102), then in lice pools (16.7%, 1/6) and ticks pools (12.5%, 10/80), respectively. However, low prevalence of Bartonella DNA was found in chiggers pools (2.8%, 10/351). Likewise, high prevalence of Bartonella DNA was also found in fleas pools collected from domestic animals (14.1%, 54/381), while low prevalence was found in lice pools (5.7%, 3/53) and tick pools (6.6%, 14/213). Phylogenetic analysis of Bartonella gltA sequences (638 bp) presented the diverse range of Bartonella species found in ectoparasites collected from rodents including 4 Bartonella species in B. elizabethae species complex (B. elizabethae, B. tribocorum B. rattimassiliensis, and B. queenslandensis), B. rochalimae and Candidatus B. thailandensis. However, only 2 species (B. clarridgeiae and B. tamiae) was detected in ectoparasites collected from domestic animals. Our data showed an important role of ectoparasites as potential vectors for Bartonella transmission among rodents and domestic animals residing in close association with humans.

Biography:

Ratree Takhampunya is currently working as an Research Associate in the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences-U.S. Army Medical Directorate in Thailand.

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