Rickettsia felis infection in cat fleas Ctenocephalides felis felis

Brazilian Journal of Microbiology

Mauricio C. Horta²  Fabio B. Scott¹  Thaís R. Correia¹  Julio I. Fernandes¹  Leonardo J. Richtzenhain²  Marcelo B. Labruna² 

[1] ,Universidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde AnimalSão Paulo SP ,Brasil

关键词: Rickettsia felis;    flea;    Ctenocephalides felis felis;    cats;    humans;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S1517-83822010000300035

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

The present study evaluated the rickettsial infection in a laboratory colony of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouche) in Brazil. All flea samples (30 eggs, 30 larvae, 30 cocoons, 30 males, and 30 females) tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were shown to contain rickettsial DNA. PCR products, corresponding to the rickettsial gltA, htrA, ompA and ompB gene partial sequences were sequenced and showed to correspond to Rickettsia felis, indicating that the flea colony was 100% infected by R. felis. The immunofluorescence assay (IFA) showed the presence of R. felis-reactive antibodies in blood sera of 7 (87.5%) out of 8 cats that were regularly used to feed the flea colony. From 15 humans that used to work with the flea colony in the laboratory, 6 (40.0%) reacted positively to R. felis by IFA. Reactive feline and human sera showed low endpoint titers against R. felis, varying from 64 to 256. With the exception of one human serum, all R. felis-reactive sera were also reactive to Rickettsia rickettsii and/or Rickettsia parkeri antigens at similar titers to R. felis. The single human serum that was reactive solely to R. felis had an endpoint titer of 256, indicating that this person was infected by R. felis.

【 授权许可】

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