title: Molecular screening of Bartonella species in rodents from south western Spain.
abstract: Rodents (87 Mus spretus and 10 Rattus norvegicus) collected in a suburban area of Seville (Andalusia, Spain) between September 2003 and April 2004 were tested by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of Bartonella DNA using primers amplifying a fragment of the 16S/23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Sequence analyses of the ITS of these Bartonella demonstrated that rodents in this region harbored at least three strains: two Bartonella genotypes detected in M. spretus, which clustered separately, and one genotype corresponding with B. tribocorum in R. norvegicus. The finding of Bartonella species in a high proportion of the rodent samples suggests the need to investigate whether these agents might be responsible for cases of febrile illnesses of unknown etiology in Southern Spain.
authors.affiliation: Departamento Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain. jmarquez@ujaen.es
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Márquez
authors.forename: José J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Liébana
authors.forename: M Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pachón-Ibáñez
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Docobo-Pérez
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hidalgo-Fontiveros
authors.forename: Máximo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bernabeu-Wittel
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Muniain
authors.forename: Jerónimo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pachón
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001473:Bartonella / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D051379:Mice; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S