title: Prevalence, Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Bartonella Species in Republic of Korea.
abstract: To determine the prevalence of Bartonella species and identify which species of Bartonella naturally infects the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) in the Republic of Korea (ROK), spleens from 200 mice were assayed by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) targeting the RNA polymerase subunit beta (rpoB) gene and the 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region for members of the genus Bartonella. Utilizing PCR techniques, the prevalence of Bartonella spp. ranged from 31.5% (63/200) to 62.0% (124/200) for the rpoB and ITS gene fragments, respectively. The most prevalent species, Bartonella grahamii, was assigned to 17 genotypes and closely related to the zoonotic pathogens, B. taylorii, B. tribocorum, B. phoceensis and B. henselae, which also were detected. Two Bartonella isolates (KRBG28 and KRBG32) were recovered from blood of A. agrarius captured in Gyeonggi Province, ROK. Comparison of the 16S rRNA, hemin-binding protein E (hbpE), glutamate dehydrogenase 1 (gdh1), invasion-associated protein B (ialB), cell division protein (ftsZ), citrate synthase (gltA), 60 kDa heat shock protein (groEL), rpoB gene fragments and the ITS region sequences from the isolates with GenBank was confirmed as B. grahamii. Phylogenetic analysis based on the alignment of concatenated sequences (4933 bp) of KRBG28 and KRBG32 clustered with B. grahamii, forming an independent clade between Asian and American/European B. grahamii genogroups.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Research Institute for Veterinary Science and College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Research Institute for Veterinary Science and College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J-G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: 5th Medical Detachment, 168th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, 65th Medical Brigade, APO AP, USA.
authors.forename: H-C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Public Health Command Region-Pacific, Camp Zama Japan; 65th Medical Brigade, APO AP, USA.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: School of Animal Science and Biotechnology, College of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Sangju, Korea.
authors.forename: K-S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute for Viral Diseases and Bank for Pathogenic Viruses, College of Medicine, Korea University, Anam-Dong Sungbuk-Gu, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J-W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Research Institute for Veterinary Science and College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: H-Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Youn
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Research Institute for Veterinary Science and College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: J-S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chae
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001473:Bartonella / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001474:Bartonella Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D051379:Mice / Q000382:microbiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D056910:Republic of Korea; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Apodemus agrarius; Bartonella; Republic of Korea; isolation; prevalence; striped field mice