National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar-Ahang, Hamadan, Iran.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2023 Nov 10;17(11):e0011722. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011722. eCollection 2023 Nov.
The causative agent of plague, Yersinia pestis, is maintained in nature via a flea-rodent cycle. Western Iran is an old focus for plague, and recent data indicate that rodents and dogs in this region have serological evidence of Y. pestis infection. The purpose of this study was to conduct a large-scale investigation of Y. pestis infection in shepherd dogs, rodents, and their fleas in old foci for plague in Western Iran.
This study was conducted in Hamadan province from 2014 to 2020. Rodents and fleas were collected from various locations throughout this region. Y. pestis was investigated in rodent spleen samples and fleas using culture, serology, and real-time PCR methods. Additionally, sera samples were collected from carnivores and hares in this region, and the IgG antibody against the Y. pestis F1 antigen was assessed using an ELISA.
In this study, 927 rodents were captured, with Meriones spp. (91.8%) and Microtus qazvinensis (2.6%) being the most prevalent. A total of 6051 fleas were collected from rodents and carnivores, most of which were isolated from Meriones persicus. None of the rodents or fleas examined tested positive for Y. pestis using real-time PCR and culture methods. Meanwhile, IgG antibodies were detected in 0.32% of rodents. All serologically positive rodents belonged to M. persicus. Furthermore, none of the sera from the 138 carnivores (129 sheepdogs, five Vulpes vulpes, four Canis aureus), and nine hares tested positive in the ELISA test.
This primary survey of rodent reservoirs shows serological evidence of Y. pestis infection. Western Iran is an endemic plague focus, and as such, it requires ongoing surveillance.
鼠疫的病原体鼠疫耶尔森菌(Yersinia pestis)通过跳蚤-啮齿动物循环在自然界中维持。伊朗西部是鼠疫的一个旧疫区，最近的数据表明，该地区的啮齿动物和狗有鼠疫耶尔森菌感染的血清学证据。本研究的目的是对伊朗西部鼠疫旧疫区的牧羊犬、啮齿动物及其跳蚤进行大规模鼠疫耶尔森菌感染调查。
本研究于 2014 年至 2020 年在哈马丹省进行。从该地区的不同地点采集啮齿动物和跳蚤。使用培养、血清学和实时 PCR 方法检测鼠脾样本和跳蚤中的鼠疫耶尔森菌。此外，还从该地区的食肉动物和野兔中采集血清样本，并用 ELISA 检测抗鼠疫耶尔森菌 F1 抗原的 IgG 抗体。
本研究共捕获 927 只啮齿动物，其中最常见的是麦氏野鼠(91.8%)和卡氏田鼠(2.6%)。从啮齿动物和食肉动物中总共收集了 6051 只跳蚤，其中大部分是从麦氏野鼠中分离出来的。实时 PCR 和培养方法均未检测到啮齿动物或跳蚤中存在鼠疫耶尔森菌。同时，在 0.32%的啮齿动物中检测到 IgG 抗体。所有血清学阳性的啮齿动物均属于麦氏野鼠。此外，在 ELISA 试验中，138 只食肉动物(129 只牧羊犬、5 只赤狐、4 只金豺)和 9 只野兔的血清均未呈阳性。
本研究首次对啮齿动物进行了调查，显示出鼠疫耶尔森菌感染的血清学证据。伊朗西部是一个地方性鼠疫疫区，因此需要进行持续监测。
