Folia Parasitologica 53[4] 313-316 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.039

Bartonella infections in fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) and lack of bartonellae in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) from Hungary

Zsuzsa Sréter-Lancz^1,2, Krisztián Tornyai², Zoltán Széll³, Tamás Sréter³, Károly Márialigeti¹

¹ Department of Microbiology, National Institute for Food Investigations, Mester u. 81, H-1095 Budapest, Hungary

² Department of Microbiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary

³ Department of Parasitology, Central Veterinary Institute, Tábornok u. 2, H-1149 Budapest, Hungary

Fleas (95 Pulex irritans, 50 Ctenocephalides felis, 45 Ctenocephalides canis) and ixodid ticks (223 Ixodes ricinus, 231 Dermacentor reticulatus, 204 Haemaphysalis concinna) were collected in Hungary and tested, in assays based on PCR, for Bartonella infection. Low percentages of P. irritans (4.2%) and C. felis (4.0%) were found to be infected. The groEL sequences of the four isolates from P. irritans were different from all the homologous sequences for bartonellae previously stored in GenBank but closest to those of Bartonella sp. SE-Bart-B (sharing 96% identities). The groEL sequences of the two isolates from C. felis were identical with those of the causative agents of cat scratch disease, Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, respectively. The pap31 sequences of B. henselae amplified from Hungarian fleas were identical with that of Marseille strain. No Bartonella-specific amplification products were detected in C. canis, I. ricinus, D. reticulatus and H. concinna pools.

Received: June 27, 2006; Accepted: September 5, 2006; Published: December 1, 2006  Show citation