title: Polygenic detection of Rickettsia felis in cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) from Israel.
abstract: The presence of Rickettsia felis, an emerging bacterial pathogen, was investigated in 79 cat flea (Cteno-cephalides felis) pools from Israel (5 to 20 fleas each) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of 5 different genes. Amplified targets included both metabolic (gltA and fusA) and surface antigen (ompA, ompB, and the 17-kDa antigen) genes. R. felis DNA was detected in 7.6% of the flea pools. Two genotypes similar in their housekeeping gene sequences but markedly different in their surface antigenic genetic milieus were characterized. This is the first detection of this flea-transmitted rickettsia within its vector in Israel and the Middle East. Although no clinical case has been reported in human beings in Israel to date, these findings suggest that this infection is prevalent in Israel.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Omri
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Gad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baneth
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eshkol
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Shimon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harrus
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D002415:Cats / Q000469:parasitology*; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004285:Dogs / Q000469:parasitology*; D007557:Israel; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020653:Peptide Elongation Factor G / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D041161:Rickettsia felis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D020653:Peptide Elongation Factor G; C078167:OMPA outer membrane proteins; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase