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      Molecular detection of Rickettsia in fleas from micromammals in Chile

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          Abstract

          Background

          Rickettsial diseases are considered important in public health due to their dispersal capacity determined by the particular characteristics of their reservoirs and/or vectors. Among the latter, fleas play an important role, since the vast majority of species parasitize wild and invasive rodents, so their detection is relevant to be able to monitor potential emerging diseases. The aim of this study was to detect, characterize, and compare Rickettsia spp. from the fleas of micromammals in areas with different human population densities in Chile.

          Methods

          The presence of Rickettsia spp. was evaluated by standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing in 1315 fleas collected from 1512 micromammals in 29 locations, with different human population densities in Chile. A generalized linear model (GLM) was used to identify the variables that may explain Rickettsia prevalence in fleas.

          Results

          DNA of Rickettsia spp. was identified in 13.2% (174 of 1315) of fleas tested. Fifteen flea species were found to be Rickettsia-positive. The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. was higher in winter, semi-arid region and natural areas, and the infection levels in fleas varied between species of flea. The prevalence of Rickettsia among flea species ranged between 0–35.1%. Areas of lower human density showed the highest prevalence of Rickettsia. The phylogenetic tree showed two well-differentiated clades with Rickettsia bellii positioned as basal in one clade. The second clade was subdivided into two subclades of species related to Rickettsia of the spotted fever group.

          Conclusions

          To our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence and molecular characterization of Rickettsia spp. in 15 flea species of micromammals in Chile. In this study, fleas were detected carrying Rickettsia DNA with zoonotic potential, mainly in villages and natural areas of Chile. Considering that there are differences in the prevalence of Rickettsia in fleas associated with different factors, more investigations are needed to further understand the ecology of Rickettsia in fleas and their implications for human health.

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          Most cited references54

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          Update on tick-borne rickettsioses around the world: a geographic approach.

          Tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the spotted fever group of the genus Rickettsia. These zoonoses are among the oldest known vector-borne diseases. However, in the past 25 years, the scope and importance of the recognized tick-associated rickettsial pathogens have increased dramatically, making this complex of diseases an ideal paradigm for the understanding of emerging and reemerging infections. Several species of tick-borne rickettsiae that were considered nonpathogenic for decades are now associated with human infections, and novel Rickettsia species of undetermined pathogenicity continue to be detected in or isolated from ticks around the world. This remarkable expansion of information has been driven largely by the use of molecular techniques that have facilitated the identification of novel and previously recognized rickettsiae in ticks. New approaches, such as swabbing of eschars to obtain material to be tested by PCR, have emerged in recent years and have played a role in describing emerging tick-borne rickettsioses. Here, we present the current knowledge on tick-borne rickettsiae and rickettsioses using a geographic approach toward the epidemiology of these diseases.
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            Rodent-borne diseases and their risks for public health.

            Rodents are the most abundant and diversified order of living mammals in the world. Already since the Middle Ages we know that they can contribute to human disease, as black rats were associated with distribution of plague. However, also in modern times rodents form a threat for public health. In this review article a large number of pathogens that are directly or indirectly transmitted by rodents are described. Moreover, a simplified rodent disease model is discussed.
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              Rats, cities, people, and pathogens: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of literature regarding the ecology of rat-associated zoonoses in urban centers.

              Urban Norway and black rats (Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus) are the source of a number of pathogens responsible for significant human morbidity and mortality in cities around the world. These pathogens include zoonotic bacteria (Leptospira interrogans, Yersina pestis, Rickettsia typhi, Bartonella spp., Streptobacillus moniliformis), viruses (Seoul hantavirus), and parasites (Angiostrongylus cantonensis). A more complete understanding of the ecology of these pathogens in people and rats is critical for determining the public health risks associated with urban rats and for developing strategies to monitor and mitigate those risks. Although the ecology of rat-associated zoonoses is complex, due to the multiple ways in which rats, people, pathogens, vectors, and the environment may interact, common determinants of human disease can still be identified. This review summarizes the ecology of zoonoses associated with urban rats with a view to identifying similarities, critical differences, and avenues for further study.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                lumoreno@udec.cl
                mariovecarniglia@gmail.com
                nicolizamasch@gmail.com
                gonzalotorresmv@gmail.com
                silva.delafuente@gmail.com
                mlareschi@yahoo.com.ar
                danigonz@udec.cl
                Journal
                Parasit Vectors
                Parasit Vectors
                Parasites & Vectors
                BioMed Central (London )
                1756-3305
                17 October 2020
                17 October 2020
                2020
                : 13
                : 523
                Affiliations
                [1 ]GRID grid.5380.e, ISNI 0000 0001 2298 9663, Universidad de Concepción, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, ; Concepción, Chile
                [2 ]Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores CEPAVE (CONICET CCT-La Plata-UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
                [3 ]GRID grid.7119.e, ISNI 0000 0004 0487 459X, Universidad Austral de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias, ; Valdivia, Chile
                [4 ]GRID grid.5380.e, ISNI 0000 0001 2298 9663, Universidad de Concepción, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, ; Chillán, Chile
                [5 ]GRID grid.7119.e, ISNI 0000 0004 0487 459X, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, , Universidad Austral de Chile, ; Valdivia, Chile
                Author information
                http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3159-4916
                https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6786-3271
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2397-2991
                Article
                4388
                10.1186/s13071-020-04388-5
                7568392
                33069260
                aa93bc91-40a3-47e3-b957-51cbd971ca80
                © The Author(s) 2020

                Open AccessThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

                History
                : 13 June 2020
                : 6 October 2020
                Funding
                Funded by: FundRef http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002850, Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico;
                Award ID: 11150875
                Award ID: 1130948
                Award ID: 1170972
                Award Recipient :
                Categories
                Research
                Custom metadata
                © The Author(s) 2020

                Parasitology
                pathogen,bacteria,vectors,fleas,rodents,marsupials
                Parasitology
                pathogen, bacteria, vectors, fleas, rodents, marsupials

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