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Alabí Córdova AS, Fecchio A, Calchi AC, Dias CM, Machado RZ, André MR. Molecular evidence of Bartonella spp. in tropical wild birds from the Brazilian Pantanal, the largest wetland in South America. Vet Res Commun 2024; 48:1631-1640. [PMID: 38443588 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-024-10341-z] [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: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Despite the worldwide occurrence of bartonellae in a broad range of mammal species, in which they usually cause a long-lasting erythrocytic bacteremia, few studies reported Bartonella spp. in avian hosts. The present work aimed to investigate the occurrence and molecular identity of Bartonella spp. infecting birds in the Pantanal wetland, central-western Brazil using a multigene approach. For this purpose, blood samples were collected from 517 individuals from 13 avian orders in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Groso do Sul. DNA was extracted from avian blood and 500/517 (96.7%) samples were positive in a conventional PCR targeting the avian β-actin gene. Nineteen (3.8%) out of 500 avian blood samples were positive in a qPCR assay for Bartonella spp. based on the nuoG gene. Among 19 avian blood DNA samples positive in the qPCR for Bartonella spp., 12 were also positive in the qPCR for Bartonella based on the 16S-23S RNA Intergenic region (ITS). In the PCR assays performed for molecular characterization, one 16S rRNA, three ribC, and one nuoG sequences were obtained. Based on BLASTn results, while 1 nuoG, 2 ribC, and 2 ITS sequences showed high identity to Bartonella henselae, one 16S rRNA and 2 ITS showed high similarity to Bartonella machadoae in the sampled birds. Bartonella spp. related to B. henselae and B. machadoae were detected, for the first time, in wild birds from the Brazilian Pantanal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Salvador Alabí Córdova
- Vector-Borne Bioagents Laboratory (VBBL), Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução E Saúde Única, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias E Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", (FCAV/UNESP), Campus de Jaboticabal, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, S/N, Zona Rural, São Paulo, Jaboticabal, CEP: 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Alan Fecchio
- Department of Ornithology, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ana Cláudia Calchi
- Vector-Borne Bioagents Laboratory (VBBL), Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução E Saúde Única, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias E Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", (FCAV/UNESP), Campus de Jaboticabal, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, S/N, Zona Rural, São Paulo, Jaboticabal, CEP: 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Clara Morato Dias
- Vector-Borne Bioagents Laboratory (VBBL), Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução E Saúde Única, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias E Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", (FCAV/UNESP), Campus de Jaboticabal, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, S/N, Zona Rural, São Paulo, Jaboticabal, CEP: 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Rosangela Zacarias Machado
- Vector-Borne Bioagents Laboratory (VBBL), Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução E Saúde Única, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias E Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", (FCAV/UNESP), Campus de Jaboticabal, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, S/N, Zona Rural, São Paulo, Jaboticabal, CEP: 14884-900, Brazil
| | - Marcos Rogério André
- Vector-Borne Bioagents Laboratory (VBBL), Departamento de Patologia, Reprodução E Saúde Única, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias E Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", (FCAV/UNESP), Campus de Jaboticabal, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, S/N, Zona Rural, São Paulo, Jaboticabal, CEP: 14884-900, Brazil.
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Buhler KJ, Dibernardo A, Pilfold NW, Harms NJ, Fenton H, Carriere S, Kelly A, Schwantje H, Aguilar XF, Leclerc LM, Gouin GG, Lunn NJ, Richardson ES, McGeachy D, Bouchard É, Ortiz AH, Samelius G, Lindsay LR, Drebot MA, Gaffney P, Leighton P, Alisauskas R, Jenkins E. Widespread Exposure to Mosquitoborne California Serogroup Viruses in Caribou, Arctic Fox, Red Fox, and Polar Bears, Canada. Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 29:54-63. [PMID: 36573538 PMCID: PMC9796188 DOI: 10.3201/eid2901.220154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Northern Canada is warming at 3 times the global rate. Thus, changing diversity and distribution of vectors and pathogens is an increasing health concern. California serogroup (CSG) viruses are mosquitoborne arboviruses; wildlife reservoirs in northern ecosystems have not been identified. We detected CSG virus antibodies in 63% (95% CI 58%-67%) of caribou (n = 517), 4% (95% CI 2%-7%) of Arctic foxes (n = 297), 12% (95% CI 6%-21%) of red foxes (n = 77), and 28% (95% CI 24%-33%) of polar bears (n = 377). Sex, age, and summer temperatures were positively associated with polar bear exposure; location, year, and ecotype were associated with caribou exposure. Exposure was highest in boreal caribou and increased from baseline in polar bears after warmer summers. CSG virus exposure of wildlife is linked to climate change in northern Canada and sustained surveillance could be used to measure human health risks.
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Buhler K, Bouchard É, Elmore S, Samelius G, Jackson J, Tomaselli M, Fenton H, Alisauskas R, Jenkins E. Tularemia above the Treeline: Climate and Rodent Abundance Influences Exposure of a Sentinel Species, the Arctic Fox ( Vulpes lagopus), to Francisella tularensis. Pathogens 2022; 12:pathogens12010028. [PMID: 36678376 PMCID: PMC9861794 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12010028] [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: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Tularemia is a zoonotic disease found throughout most of the northern hemisphere that may experience range expansion with warming temperatures. Rodents and lagomorphs are reservoirs for the disease, and outbreaks of tularemia often follow peaks in their abundance. As small mammals dominate the diet of arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus), we determined whether they may serve as sentinels by identifying antibodies in live-captured and harvested foxes from northern Canada. Overall seroprevalence was 2% (CI95 1-2%) in 176 foxes harvested in 2018-2019 compared to 17% (CI95 12-22%) of 230 foxes captured live in 2011-2021. Prevalence was at an all-time high in 2018, following a peak in vole abundance in 2017. Antibodies were identified in fox pups born in 2018 and 2019, suggesting that F. tularensis was actively transmitted during the summers. High precipitation during the summer, increased snow cover and colder temperatures in May, and a higher abundance of voles were all associated with increased seroprevalence in live-captured foxes. Thus, exposure to F. tularensis is largely mediated through climate and rodent populations in the Canadian Arctic, and arctic foxes are useful sentinels for F. tularensis in northern ecosystems. Further studies should investigate whether infection impacts arctic fox survival and reproductive success in the circumpolar North.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Buhler
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
- Correspondence:
| | - Émilie Bouchard
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
- Research Group on Epidemiology of Zoonoses and Public Health (GREZOSP), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Stacey Elmore
- Division of Natural Sciences, University of Maine Fort Kent, 23 University Drive, Fort Kent, MA 04743, USA
| | - Gustaf Samelius
- Snow Leopard Trust, 4649 Sunnyside Ave North, Suite 325, Seattle, WA 98103, USA
| | - Jessica Jackson
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Matilde Tomaselli
- Canadian High Arctic Research Station, Polar Knowledge Canada, 1 Uvajuq Road, P.O. Box 2150, Cambridge Bay, NU X0B 0C0, Canada
| | - Heather Fenton
- Government of The Northwest Territories, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 5th Floor Scotiabank Centre, P.O. Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2P9, Canada
- Australian Wildlife Health Registry, Taronga Zoo, P.O. Box 20, Mosman, NSW 2088, Australia
| | - Ray Alisauskas
- Prairie and Northern Wildlife Research Centre, Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 115 Perimeter Road, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0X4, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Emily Jenkins
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada
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Buhler KJ, Fernando C, Hill JE, Galloway T, Carriere S, Fenton H, Fauteux D, Jenkins EJ. Combining deep sequencing and conventional molecular approaches reveals broad diversity and distribution of fleas and Bartonella in rodents and shrews from Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:366. [PMID: 36229832 PMCID: PMC9563109 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05446-w] [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: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bartonella are intracellular bacteria that are transmitted via animal scratches, bites and hematophagous arthropods. Rodents and their associated fleas play a key role in the maintenance of Bartonella worldwide, with > 22 species identified in rodent hosts. No studies have addressed the occurrence and diversity of Bartonella species and vectors for small mammals in Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems, which are increasingly impacted by invasive species and climate change. METHODS In this study, we characterized the diversity of rodent fleas using conventional PCR targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase II gene (COII) and Bartonella species in rodents and shrews (n = 505) from northern Canada using conventional PCR targeting the ITS (intergenic transcribed spacer) region and gltA (citrate synthase) gene. Metagenomic sequencing of a portion of the gltA gene was completed on a subset of 42 rodents and four rodent flea pools. RESULTS Year, total summer precipitation the year prior to sampling, average minimum spring temperature and small mammal species were significant factors in predicting Bartonella positivity. Occurrence based on the ITS region was more than double that of the gltA gene and was 34% (n = 349) in northern red-backed voles, 35% (n = 20) in meadow voles, 37% (n = 68) in deer mice and 31% (n = 59) in shrews. Six species of Bartonella were identified with the ITS region, including B. grahamii, B. elizabethae, B. washoensis, Candidatus B. rudakovii, B. doshiae, B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and subsp. arupensis. In addition, 47% (n = 49/105) of ITS amplicons had < 97% identity to sequences in GenBank, possibly due to a limited reference library or previously unreported species. An additional Bartonella species (B. heixiaziensis) was detected during metagenomic sequencing of the gltA gene in 6/11 rodents that had ITS sequences with < 97% identity in GenBank, highlighting that a limited reference library for the ITS marker likely accounted for low sequence similarity in our specimens. In addition, one flea pool from a northern red-backed vole contained multiple species (B. grahamii and B. heixiaziensis). CONCLUSION Our study calls attention to the usefulness of a combined approach to determine the occurrence and diversity of Bartonella communities in hosts and vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla J Buhler
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada.
| | - Champika Fernando
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Janet E Hill
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
| | - Terry Galloway
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Manitoba, 12 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Suzanne Carriere
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 5Th Floor Scotiabank Centre, Government of The Northwest Territories, PO Box 1320, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, X1A 2P9, Canada
| | - Heather Fenton
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 5Th Floor Scotiabank Centre, Government of The Northwest Territories, PO Box 1320, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, X1A 2P9, Canada.,Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
| | - Dominique Fauteux
- Centre for Arctic Knowledge and Exploration, Canadian Museum of Nature, 1740, Chemin Pink, Gatineau, QC, J9J 3N7, Canada
| | - Emily J Jenkins
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B4, Canada
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Broad Range Screening of Vector-Borne Pathogens in Arctic Foxes ( Vulpes lagopus) in Iceland. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10112031. [PMID: 33158098 PMCID: PMC7694187 DOI: 10.3390/ani10112031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The arctic fox is the only native terrestrial mammal in Iceland. The population comprises both “coastal” and “inland” fox ecotypes, with regard to food resources. Because of the relatively low biodiversity within arctic ecosystems and the involvement of the species in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the Icelandic arctic fox population could serve as sentinels for the overall ecosystem health of Iceland. After screening the samples from 60 foxes for tick-/vector-borne pathogens, this study reports the near-absence (very low prevalence) of these pathogens in Icelandic arctic foxes in 2011–2012. Taking into account the broad range of target microorganisms analyzed here, as well as the warming climate and increasing presence of the vector Ixodes ricinus in Iceland, our results will be very useful as baseline data for comparison in future monitoring of the emergence of ticks and tick-borne diseases in this country. Abstract The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) is the only native terrestrial mammal in Iceland. While red foxes (V. vulpes) are known to be epidemiologically important carriers of several vector-borne pathogens in Europe, arctic foxes have never been evaluated in a similar context on this continent. This has become especially relevant in the last decade, considering the establishing populations of the tick species Ixodes ricinus in Iceland. In this study, liver DNA extracts of 60 arctic foxes, hunted between 2011–2012, were molecularly screened for vector-borne protozoan parasites (Trypanosomatidae, Babesia, Theileria, Hepatozoon) and bacteria (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, Borrelia, hemotropic Mycoplasma). One sample was real-time qPCR positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, though this positivity could not be confirmed with sequencing. Samples were negative for all other tested vector-borne pathogens. Results of this study indicate that, except for A. phagocytophilum, Icelandic arctic foxes were apparently “not yet infected” with vector-borne pathogens in 2011–2012, or their infections were “below the detection limit” of applied methods. Taking into account the broad range of target microorganisms analyzed here, as well as the warming climate and increasing presence of the vector I. ricinus in Iceland, our results will be very useful as baseline data for comparison in future monitoring of the emergence of ticks and tick-borne diseases in this country.
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