How to translate text using browser tools
1 March 2011 Prevalence of Rickettsia felis and the First Identification of Bartonella henselae Fizz/CAL-1 in Cat Fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) from Taiwan
Kun-Hsien Tsai, Chin-Gi Huang, Chi-Tai Fang, Pei-Yun Shu, Jyh-Hsiung Huang, Wen-Jer Wu
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis [Bouché]) are the primary ectoparasites of dog and cat populations. In this study, we report the monthly population dynamics of Rickettsia felis and Bartonella spp. (two zoonotic pathogens that can cause human disease) in cat fleas collected from dogs and cats in Taipei, Taiwan, from December 2006 to December 2007. Natural R. felis infection in individual cat fleas was assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using pRF-, ompB-, and gltA-specific primer pairs. Samples positive by PCR were confirmed with DNA sequencing. R. felis was detected in cat fleas year round, and the average infection rate was 21.4% (90 of 420) in 2007. Cat fleas also play an important role in the transmission of Bartonella between reservoirs and other mammalian hosts. In this study, we used primer pairs specific for the Bartonella gltA and rpoB genes to detect Bartonella infections. Of the 420 cat fleas tested, 38 were positive by PCR for Bartonella. Sequence similarities to Bartonella henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiae, and Bartonella koehlerae were observed in 6.2% (26 of 420), 2.1% (9 of 420), and 0.7% (3 of 420) of the fleas, respectively. Based on the pap31 gene sequence, several amplicons of the B. henselae detected in the cat fleas could be subgrouped into three strains: Fizz/CAL-1 (n = 18), Marseille (n = 5), and Houston-1 (n = 3). These results demonstrate that cat fleas infected with R. felis are endemic to Taiwan, and highlight the role of C. felis in Bartonella transmission between reservoirs and other mammal hosts and demonstrate the genetic variability of B. henselae in Taiwan.

© 2011 Entomological Society of America
Kun-Hsien Tsai, Chin-Gi Huang, Chi-Tai Fang, Pei-Yun Shu, Jyh-Hsiung Huang, and Wen-Jer Wu "Prevalence of Rickettsia felis and the First Identification of Bartonella henselae Fizz/CAL-1 in Cat Fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) from Taiwan," Journal of Medical Entomology 48(2), 445-452, (1 March 2011). https://doi.org/10.1603/ME10022
Received: 30 January 2010; Accepted: 1 October 2010; Published: 1 March 2011
JOURNAL ARTICLE
8 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
Bartonella
Ctenocephalides felis
Rickettsia felis
Taiwan
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top