Identification of Bartonella Species Isolated from Rodents from Yucatan, Mexico, and Isolation of Bartonella vinsonii subsp. yucatanensis subsp. nov.
Bartonella species are highly endemic among wild rodents in many parts of the world. Blood and/or blood clot cultures from 38 rodents, including 27 Yucatan deer mouse (Peromyscus yucatanicus), 7 Gaumer's spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys gaumeri), 2 black rats (Rattus rattus) and 2 big-eared climbing rats (Ototylomys phyllotis) captured near Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, led to the isolation in 3-4 days of small gram-negative bacilli, which were identified as Bartonella spp. based on colony morphology. DNA extraction and PCR testing were also performed from heart samples of 35 of these 38 rodents. Overall, Bartonella spp. were isolated from the blood/blood clots of 22 (58%) rodents. All Bartonella-positive rodents were Yucatán deer mice from San José Pituch. Sequencing of a fragment of the gltA gene showed that all but one rodent isolates were closest to B. vinsonii subsp. vinsonii and one isolate was intermediate between B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and B. vinsonii subsp. arupensis. Further analysis of concatenated housekeeping genes (gltA, ftsZ, rpoB, and 16S rRNA) suggests that this outlier isolate is a new subspecies within the B. vinsonii genogroup, for which we proposed the name B. vinsonii subsp. yucatanensis.
1 Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California , Davis, California.|2 Division of Veterinary Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, University of Utrecht , Utrecht, the Netherlands .
Frederique B
FB
Schulte Fischedick
1 Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California , Davis, California.
Matthew J
MJ
Stuckey
3 Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, Hospital de Pediatría , Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico .
Alvaro
A
Aguilar-Setién
3 Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, Hospital de Pediatría , Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico .
Hayde
H
Moreno-Sandoval
3 Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, Hospital de Pediatría , Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico .
Guillermo
G
Galvez-Romero
3 Unidad de Investigación Médica en Inmunología, Hospital de Pediatría , Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico .
Mónica
M
Salas-Rojas
4 Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos , Mexico City, Mexico .
Nidia
N
Arechiga-Ceballos
2 Division of Veterinary Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, University of Utrecht , Utrecht, the Netherlands .
Paul A M
PA
Overgaauw
1 Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California , Davis, California.
Rickie W
RW
Kasten
1 Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California , Davis, California.
Bruno B
BB
Chomel
D000818:Animals; D001473:Bartonella / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008800:Mexico; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012377:Rodentia / Q000382:microbiology*
D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Bartonella vinsonii subsp. arupensis; Bartonella vinsonii subsp. vinsonii; Mexico; Peromyscus yucatanicus; Yucatan