High Prevalence of Rickettsia spp. in Dog Fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) in Rural Uganda

Abstract Fleas are known vectors of zoonotic agents. Thirty-five fleas, including 28 Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), four Pulex irritans (L.), and three Echidnophaga gallinacea (Westwood) from 19 rural dogs from southwestern Uganda were analyzed for the presence of Rickettsia spp. (ompB, gltA, and 17 kDa fragment genes) and Bartonella spp. (rpoB and ITS genes) by PCR. Rickettsial DNA was detected in 27 out of 28 of Ct. felis and in two out of four P. irritans. None of the E. gallinacea specimens harbored Rickettsia DNA. Rickettsia felis was confirmed in 12 Ct. felis and in the two P. irritans specimens with positive PCR-results. In addition, the presence of Candidatus Rickettsia asemboensis was evidenced in 15 Ct. felis. Bartonella spp. was not amplified in any sample. Our survey indicates that R. felis, the agent of the flea-borne spotted fever, is present in the study area. Besides, this is the first description of Ca. R. asemboensis in Uganda.

[1]  A. Troyo,et al.  Detection of rickettsiae in fleas and ticks from areas of Costa Rica with history of spotted fever group rickettsioses. , 2016, Ticks and tick-borne diseases.

[2]  D. Raoult,et al.  Rickettsia felis: The Complex Journey of an Emergent Human Pathogen. , 2016, Trends in parasitology.

[3]  K. Macaluso,et al.  Rickettsia felis, an Emerging Flea-Borne Rickettsiosis , 2016, Current Tropical Medicine Reports.

[4]  A. Richards,et al.  Molecular Detection of Zoonotic Rickettsiae and Anaplasma spp. in Domestic Dogs and Their Ectoparasites in Bushbuckridge, South Africa. , 2016, Vector borne and zoonotic diseases.

[5]  A. Faccini-MartínezÁlvaro,et al.  Molecular Evidence of Different Rickettsia Species in Villeta, Colombia , 2016 .

[6]  S. Caracappa,et al.  Infection and exposure to vector-borne pathogens in rural dogs and their ticks, Uganda , 2015, Parasites & Vectors.

[7]  B. Krasnov,et al.  Novel evidence suggests that a ‘Rickettsia felis‐like’ organism is an endosymbiont of the desert flea, Xenopsylla ramesis , 2015, Molecular ecology.

[8]  D. Raoult,et al.  Detection of Rickettsia felis, Rickettsia typhi, Bartonella Species and Yersinia pestis in Fleas (Siphonaptera) from Africa , 2014, PLoS neglected tropical diseases.

[9]  J. Venzal,et al.  ‘Candidatus Rickettsia asemboensis’ and Wolbachia spp. in Ctenocephalides felis and Pulex irritans fleas removed from dogs in Ecuador , 2014, Parasites & Vectors.

[10]  J. Šlapeta,et al.  High phylogenetic diversity of the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) at two mitochondrial DNA markers , 2014, Medical and veterinary entomology.

[11]  K. Gage,et al.  Bartonella species in invasive rats and indigenous rodents from Uganda. , 2014, Vector borne and zoonotic diseases.

[12]  D. Raoult,et al.  Molecular detection of Rickettsia felis and Bartonella henselae in dog and cat fleas in Central Oromia, Ethiopia. , 2014, The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene.

[13]  S. Cleaveland,et al.  Molecular detection of Rickettsia felis and Candidatus Rickettsia asemboensis in fleas from human habitats, Asembo, Kenya. , 2013, Vector borne and zoonotic diseases.

[14]  L. Mugisha,et al.  Serosurvey of Dogs for Human, Livestock, and Wildlife Pathogens, Uganda , 2013, Emerging infectious diseases.

[15]  A. Laudisoit,et al.  Identification of diverse Bartonella genotypes among small mammals from Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. , 2012, The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene.

[16]  J. Beaucournu,et al.  Le genre Ctenocephalides Stiles et Collins, 1930 (Siphonaptera, Pulicidae) , 1998 .