title: Molecular detection of Rickettsia felis in different flea species from Caldas, Colombia.
abstract: Rickettsioses caused by Rickettsia felis are an emergent global threat. Historically, the northern region of the province of Caldas in Colombia has reported murine typhus cases, and recently, serological studies confirmed high seroprevalence for both R. felis and R. typhi. In the present study, fleas from seven municipalities were collected from dogs, cats, and mice. DNA was extracted and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify gltA, ompB, and 17kD genes. Positive samples were sequenced to identify the species of Rickettsia. Of 1,341 fleas, Ctenocephalides felis was the most prevalent (76.7%). Positive PCR results in the three genes were evidenced in C. felis (minimum infection rates; 5.3%), C. canis (9.2%), and Pulex irritans (10.0%). Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analyses of sequences showed high identity values (> 98%) with R. felis, and all were highly related by phylogenetic analyses. This work shows the first detection of R. felis in fleas collected from animals in Colombia.
authors.affiliation: Grupo Parasitología Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia. aramirezhe@unal.edu.co
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramírez-Hernández
authors.forename: Viviana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Montoya
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mercado
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de la Ossa
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vélez
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Estrada
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duque
authors.forename: Juan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ariza
authors.forename: Cesar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henao
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valbuena
authors.forename: Marylin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D058251:Ctenocephalides / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004199:Disease Vectors; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D058267:Flea Infestations / Q000662:veterinary; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D051379:Mice; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D041161:Rickettsia felis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014437:Typhus, Endemic Flea-Borne / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial