Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, USA.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2009 Dec;9(6):597-602. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2008.0134.
Bartonella spp. are fastidious, gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria and are usually vector-borne. However, the vector has not been definitively identified for many recently described species. In northern California, gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) are infected with two zoonotic Bartonella species, B. rochalimae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii. Fleas (range 1-8 fleas per fox) were collected from 22 (41.5%) of 54 gray foxes from urban and backcountry zones near Hoopa, California. The flea species were determined, and DNA was individually extracted to establish the Bartonella species harbored by these fleas. Of the 108 fleas collected, 99 (92%) were identified as Pulex simulans. Overall, 39% (42/108) of the fleas were polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive for Bartonella, with B. rochalimae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii identified in 34 (81%) and 8 (19%) of the PCR-positive fleas, respectively. There was no difference between the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in P. simulans for the urban and backcountry zones. Fourteen (64%) of the 22 foxes were Bartonella bacteremic at one or more of the capture dates. In 10 instances, both the foxes and the fleas collected from them at the same blood collection were Bartonella-positive. B. rochalimae was the predominant species identified in both foxes and fleas. The competency of Pulex fleas as a vector of B. rochalimae has not been confirmed and will need to be demonstrated experimentally. Pulex spp. fleas readily feed on humans and may represent a source of human exposure to zoonotic species of Bartonella.
巴尔通体属是一种苛养的革兰氏阴性杆菌，通常通过媒介传播。然而，对于许多最近描述的物种，其媒介尚未明确确定。在加利福尼亚州北部，灰狐（Urocyon cinereoargenteus）感染了两种人畜共患的巴尔通体物种，即罗卡利马巴尔通体（Bartonella rochalimae）和贝氏巴尔通体亚种（B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii）。从加利福尼亚州胡帕附近的城市和乡村地区的 54 只灰狐中采集了跳蚤（每只狐狸 1-8 只跳蚤）。确定了跳蚤的种类，并单独提取 DNA，以确定这些跳蚤携带的巴尔通体物种。在所采集的 108 只跳蚤中，有 99%（42/108）鉴定为蒲氏角叶蚤（Pulex simulans）。总体而言，39%（42/108）的跳蚤对巴尔通体的聚合酶链反应（PCR）呈阳性，其中 34%（14/42）的 PCR 阳性跳蚤中检测到罗卡利马巴尔通体，8%（3/42）的 PCR 阳性跳蚤中检测到贝氏巴尔通体亚种。在城市和乡村地区，蒲氏角叶蚤中巴尔通体属的流行率没有差异。在 14 个（64%）采集日期中，有 22 只灰狐中的 1 只或多只出现巴尔通体菌血症。在 10 例中，从同一采血点采集的狐狸和跳蚤均为巴尔通体阳性。罗卡利马巴尔通体是在狐狸和跳蚤中鉴定出的主要物种。蒲氏角叶蚤作为罗卡利马巴尔通体传播媒介的能力尚未得到证实，需要通过实验来证明。蒲氏角叶蚤很容易吸食人类血液，可能是人类接触人畜共患巴尔通体物种的来源。
