Hang'ombe Bernard M, Nakamura Ichiro, Samui Kenny L, Kaile Davy, Mweene Aaron S, Kilonzo Bukheti S, Sawa Hirofumi, Sugimoto Chihiro, Wren Brendan W
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.
BMC Res Notes. 2012 Jan 26;5:72. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-5-72.
Yersinia pestis is a bacterium that causes plague which infects a variety of mammals throughout the world. The disease is usually transmitted among wild rodents through a flea vector. The sources and routes of transmission of plague are poorly researched in Africa, yet remains a concern in several sub-Saharan countries. In Zambia, the disease has been reported on annual basis with up to 20 cases per year, without investigating animal reservoirs or vectors that may be responsible in the maintenance and propagation of the bacterium. In this study, we undertook plague surveillance by using PCR amplification of the plasminogen activator gene in fleas.
Xenopsylla species of fleas were collected from 83 rodents trapped in a plague endemic area of Zambia. Of these rodents 5 had fleas positive (6.02%) for Y. pestis plasminogen activator gene. All the Y. pestis positive rodents were gerbils.
We conclude that fleas may be responsible in the transmission of Y. pestis and that PCR may provide means of plague surveillance in the endemic areas of Zambia.
鼠疫耶尔森菌是一种可引发鼠疫的细菌，在全球感染多种哺乳动物。该病通常通过跳蚤媒介在野生啮齿动物间传播。在非洲，鼠疫的传播源和传播途径研究较少，但在撒哈拉以南的几个国家仍是一个令人担忧的问题。在赞比亚，每年都有鼠疫病例报告，每年多达20例，但未对可能负责该细菌维持和传播的动物宿主或媒介进行调查。在本研究中，我们通过对跳蚤中的纤溶酶原激活剂基因进行PCR扩增来开展鼠疫监测。
从赞比亚一个鼠疫流行地区捕获的83只啮齿动物身上采集了蚤类。在这些啮齿动物中，有5只的跳蚤鼠疫耶尔森菌纤溶酶原激活剂基因呈阳性（6.02%）。所有鼠疫耶尔森菌阳性的啮齿动物均为沙鼠。
我们得出结论，跳蚤可能在鼠疫耶尔森菌的传播中起作用，并且PCR可能为赞比亚流行地区的鼠疫监测提供手段。
