title: Association of Bartonella Species with Wild and Synanthropic Rodents in Different Brazilian Biomes.
abstract: Bartonella spp. comprise an ecologically successful group of microorganisms that infect erythrocytes and have adapted to different hosts, which include a wide range of mammals, besides humans. Rodents are reservoirs of about two-thirds of Bartonella spp. described to date; and some of them have been implicated as causative agents of human diseases. In our study, we performed molecular and phylogenetic analyses of Bartonella spp. infecting wild rodents from five different Brazilian biomes. In order to characterize the genetic diversity of Bartonella spp., we performed a robust analysis based on three target genes, followed by sequencing, Bayesian inference, and maximum likelihood analysis. Bartonella spp. were detected in 25.6% (117/457) of rodent spleen samples analyzed, and this occurrence varied among different biomes. The diversity analysis of gltA sequences showed the presence of 15 different haplotypes. Analysis of the phylogenetic relationship of gltA sequences performed by Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood showed that the Bartonella species detected in rodents from Brazil was closely related to the phylogenetic group A detected in other cricetid rodents from North America, probably constituting only one species. Last, the Bartonella species genogroup identified in the present study formed a monophyletic group that included Bartonella samples from seven different rodent species distributed in three distinct biomes. In conclusion, our study showed that the occurrence of Bartonella bacteria in rodents is much more frequent and widespread than previously recognized.
  
  
  
  In the present study, we reported the occurrence of Bartonella spp. in some sites in Brazil. The identification and understanding of the distribution of this important group of bacteria may allow the Brazilian authorities to recognize potential regions with the risk of transmission of these pathogens among wild and domestic animals and humans. In addition, our study accessed important gaps in the biology of this group of bacteria in Brazil, such as its low host specificity, high genetic diversity, and relationship with other Bartonella spp. detected in rodents trapped in America. Considering the diversity of newly discovered Bartonella species and the great ecological plasticity of these bacteria, new studies with the aim of revealing the biological aspects unknown until now are needed and must be performed around the world. In this context, the impact of Bartonella spp. associated with rodents in human health should be assessed in future studies.
authors.affiliation: Pós-graduação em Microbiologia Agropecuária, Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.|Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Ricardo
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexsandra Rodrigues de Mendonça
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Favacho
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: André Luiz Rodrigues
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Roque
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Natalia Serra
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Otávio Luiz
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Fidelis Junior
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jyan Lucas
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Benevenute
authors.affiliation: Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Heitor Miraglia
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia e Parasitologia de Mamíferos Silvestres Reservatórios, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Sérgio
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: D'Andrea
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elba Regina Sampaio
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: de Lemos
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rosangela Zacarias
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias/Universidade Estadual Paulista (FCAV/UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil mandre.fcav@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marcos Rogério
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: André
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001473:Bartonella / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology; D001474:Bartonella Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D001938:Brazil; D014644:Genetic Variation; D058507:Host Specificity; D010802:Phylogeny; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D012377:Rodentia / Q000145:classification / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins