Torina Alessandra, Naranjo Victoria, Pennisi Maria Grazia, Patania Tatiana, Vitale Fabrizio, Laricchiuta Pietro, Alongi Angelina, Scimeca Salvatore, Kocan Katherine M, de la Fuente José
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Sicily, Italy.
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2007 Dec;38(4):591-3. doi: 10.1638/2007-0043R1.1.
Lions (Panthera leo) are an endangered species threatened by illegal hunting, habitat loss, and infectious diseases. Little is known about the tick-borne pathogens that infect lions and could contribute to population declines. The objective of this study was to characterize Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Coxiella burnetii infections in 10 lions from the Fasano Safari Park in Italy by serology, polymerase chain reaction, and sequence analysis. Although animals did not show clinical signs of tick-borne diseases, evidence of infection with C. burnetii, spotted fever group Rickettsia sp., and A. phagocytophilum were found in 50%, 20%, and 10% of the lions, respectively. One of the lions tested positive for all three pathogens. This study is the first report of molecular evidence of infection with C. burnetii, Rickettsia sp., and A. phagocytophilum in lions and provides evidence that these felids become infected and serve as hosts for tick-transmitted bacteria.
狮子（Panthera leo）是一种濒危物种，受到非法捕猎、栖息地丧失和传染病的威胁。关于感染狮子并可能导致其种群数量下降的蜱传病原体，人们知之甚少。本研究的目的是通过血清学、聚合酶链反应和序列分析，对来自意大利法萨诺野生动物园的10只狮子身上的立克次氏体属、嗜吞噬细胞无形体和伯氏考克斯氏体感染进行特征描述。尽管这些动物没有表现出蜱传疾病的临床症状，但分别在50%、20%和10%的狮子中发现了感染伯氏考克斯氏体、斑点热群立克次氏体和嗜吞噬细胞无形体的证据。其中一只狮子对所有三种病原体检测均呈阳性。本研究是关于狮子感染伯氏考克斯氏体、立克次氏体和嗜吞噬细胞无形体的分子证据的首次报告，并提供了这些猫科动物被感染并作为蜱传细菌宿主的证据。
