Retief Liezl, Chimimba Christian T, Oosthuizen Marinda C, Matshotshi Asiashu, Bastos Armanda D S
Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute (MRI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB), Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.
Microorganisms. 2022 Aug 12;10(8):1632. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10081632.
Invasive Rattus species are carriers of haemotropic Mycoplasmas (haemoplasmas) globally, but data from Africa are lacking. Using a PCR-sequencing approach, we assessed haemoplasma prevalence and diversity in kidney and buccal swabs collected from three invasive Rattus species (Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus and R. tanezumi) in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Whilst the overall sequence-confirmed haemoplasma prevalence was 38.4%, infection rates in R. rattus (58.3%) were significantly higher (χ2 = 12.96; df = 2; n = 99 p < 0.05) than for R. tanezumi (14.3%). Differences between host sex (χ2 = 3.59 × 10−31; df = 1; n = 99; p = 1.00) and age (χ2 = 4.28; df = 2; n = 99; p = 0.12) were not significant. Whilst buccal (1.01%) and ectoparasite positivity (2.13%) were low, these results suggest that multiple transmission routes are possible. Three phylogenetically distinct lineages, consistent with global rat-associated strains described to date, were detected, namely, ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemomuris subsp. Ratti’, and two Rattus-specific haemoplasmas that are yet to be formally described. These results expand the known distribution of invasive rat-associated haemoplasmas and highlight the potential for pathogen co-invasion of new territories together with invading rodent hosts.
入侵性鼠种是全球嗜血性支原体（血支原体）的携带者，但非洲地区的数据尚缺。我们采用聚合酶链反应测序方法，评估了从南非豪登省的三种入侵性鼠种（黑家鼠、褐家鼠和黄胸鼠）采集的肾脏和口腔拭子中的血支原体流行率及多样性。虽然经序列确认的血支原体总体流行率为38.4%，但黑家鼠（58.3%）的感染率显著高于黄胸鼠（14.3%）（χ2 = 12.96；自由度 = 2；n = 99；p < 0.05）。宿主性别（χ2 = 3.59 × 10−31；自由度 = 1；n = 99；p = 1.00）和年龄（χ2 = 4.28；自由度 = 2；n = 99；p = 0.12）之间的差异不显著。虽然口腔拭子阳性率（1.01%）和体外寄生虫阳性率（2.13%）较低，但这些结果表明存在多种传播途径。检测到三个系统发育上不同的谱系，与迄今描述的全球大鼠相关菌株一致，即“嗜鼠血支原体暂定种亚种 拉蒂亚种”，以及两种尚未正式描述的大鼠特异性血支原体。这些结果扩展了已知的入侵大鼠相关血支原体的分布范围，并突出了病原体与入侵啮齿动物宿主共同入侵新领地的可能性。
