EEID, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom; Evolutionary Ecology, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium; University Clinic of Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Science Faculty, University of Kisangani, Kisangani, DRC; Biodiversity Monitoring Center (Centre de Surveillance de la Biodiversité, CSB), Kisangani, DRC; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium; Faculty of Geosciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, 13005 Marseille, France.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2014 Mar;90(3):463-8. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0216. Epub 2014 Jan 20.
The prevalence and identity of Rickettsia and Bartonella in urban rat and flea populations were evaluated in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by molecular tools. An overall prevalence of 17% Bartonella species and 13% Rickettsia typhi, the agent of murine typhus, was found in the cosmopolitan rat species, Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus that were infested by a majority of Xenopsylla cheopis fleas. Bartonella queenslandensis, Bartonella elizabethae, and three Bartonella genotypes were identified by sequencing in rat specimens, mostly in R. rattus. Rickettsia typhi was detected in 72% of X. cheopis pools, the main vector and reservoir of this zoonotic pathogen. Co-infections were observed in rodents, suggesting a common mammalian host shared by R. typhi and Bartonella spp. Thus, both infections are endemic in DRC and the medical staffs need to be aware knowing the high prevalence of impoverished populations or immunocompromised inhabitants in this area.
在刚果民主共和国（DRC）的基桑加尼，通过分子工具评估了城市鼠和跳蚤种群中 Rickettisiae 和 Bartonella 的流行情况和种类。在受大多数嗜人蚤（Xenopsylla cheopis）寄生的世界性鼠种，即褐家鼠（Rattus rattus）和挪威鼠（Rattus norvegicus）中，发现了 17%的 Bartonella 物种和 13%的鼠型斑疹伤寒病原体——伤寒杆菌（Rickettsia typhi）。通过对鼠类样本的测序，鉴定出了兔形巴尔通体（Bartonella queenslandensis）、贝氏巴尔通体（Bartonella elizabethae）和三种 Bartonella 基因型，这些主要存在于褐家鼠中。在主要的病媒和该人畜共患病病原体的储存宿主——嗜人蚤（X. cheopis）的 72%的样本中，检测到了伤寒杆菌。在啮齿动物中观察到了合并感染，表明 R. typhi 和 Bartonella spp. 可能有共同的哺乳动物宿主。因此，这两种感染在 DRC 都是地方性的，由于该地区贫困人群或免疫功能低下人群的高患病率，医务人员需要提高认识。
