Department of Biology, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Department of Vector-Borne Diseases, Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2021 May;21(5):342-350. doi: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2722. Epub 2021 Mar 15.
Lice are blood-sucking insects that are of medical and veterinary significance as parasites and vectors for various infectious agents. More than half of described blood-sucking lice species are found on rodents. Rodents are important hosts of several and species, and some of these bacteria are characterized as human pathogens in Europe. Rodent ectoparasites, such as fleas and ticks, are important vectors of spp. and spp., but knowledge about the presence of these bacteria in lice is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of and bacteria in lice collected from rodents in Slovakia. The ectoparasites were collected from small rodents captured from 2010 to 2015 at four different sites in eastern Slovakia. The presence of and species in lice samples was screened by real-time PCR, targeting and genes, respectively. The molecular characterization of the strains was based on sequence analysis of partial and intergenic spacer (ITS) genes, and of the species on sequence analysis of the gene. A total of 1074 lice of seven species were collected from six rodent species. DNA was detected in (collected from , , and ), (from ), and sp. (from ). Sequence analysis revealed that the strains belonged to the , , and genogroups. DNA was detected in and collected from . Sequence analysis revealed two species: and sp. The results of the study confirm the presence of spp. and spp. in lice collected from rodents.
虱子是吸血昆虫，作为寄生虫和各种传染病的媒介，具有医学和兽医意义。超过一半的已描述吸血虱物种存在于啮齿动物身上。啮齿动物是多种细菌和螺旋体的重要宿主，其中一些细菌在欧洲被认为是人类病原体。啮齿动物外寄生虫，如跳蚤和蜱虫，是细菌和螺旋体的重要媒介，但关于虱子中这些细菌的存在的知识有限。本研究的目的是确定在斯洛伐克从啮齿动物中采集的虱子中细菌和螺旋体的流行情况。从 2010 年至 2015 年，在斯洛伐克东部的四个不同地点，从小型啮齿动物身上捕获的外寄生虫采集了虱子。通过实时 PCR 筛选虱子样本中细菌和螺旋体的存在，分别针对和基因。细菌株的分子特征基于部分和基因间间隔区（ITS）基因的序列分析，而螺旋体种的分子特征基于基因的序列分析。从六种啮齿动物中收集了 1074 只七种虱子。在（从和收集）、（从收集）和（从收集）中检测到 DNA。DNA 检测到从收集的和中。序列分析显示，细菌株属于、和组群。从和中检测到 DNA。序列分析显示了两种螺旋体：和 sp. 研究结果证实了从啮齿动物中采集的虱子中存在细菌和螺旋体。
