Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Rickettsia spp. from Wild Small Mammals in Public Parks and Urban Areas of Bangkok Metropolitan, Thailand

• Published in: Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
• Main Authors: Rungrojn, Artharee, Chaisiri, Kittipong, Paladsing, Yossapong, Morand, Serge, Junjhon, Jiraphan, Blacksell, Stuart, Ekchariyawat, Peeraya
• Other Authors: Mahidol University Bangkok, Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine Bangkok, Thailand (Faculty of Tropical Medicine), Animal, Santé, Territoires, Risques et Ecosystèmes (UMR ASTRE), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Kasetsart University, Thaïlande, Kasetsart University Bangkok, Thailand (KU)-Partenaires IRSTEA, Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA), Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), University of Oxford-Mahidol University Bangkok -Wellcome Trust, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine Oxford, University of Oxford, Stuart D. Blacksell was funded by the Wellcome Trust of the United Kingdom. This research was funded in whole, or in part, by the Wellcome Trust (220211)., ANR-17-CE35-0003,FutureHealthSEA,Scénarios de la santé en Asie du Sud-Est: changements d'utilisation des terres, changement climatique et maladies infectieuses(2017)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2021
• Subjects: Rickettsia typhi; Rickettsia felis; small mammals; rodents; public parks; urban; Bangkok; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; Rattus rattus
• Online Access: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-03535109; https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-03535109/document; https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-03535109/file/tropicalmed-06-00199.pdf; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed6040199

International audience Rural areas usually show a higher prevalence of rickettsial infection than urban areas. However, information on the rickettsial infection status in urban settings (e.g., built-up areas and city parks) is still limited, particularly in the Bangkok metropolitan area. In this study, we performed a molecular rickettsial survey of spleen samples of small mammals caught in public parks and built-up areas of Bangkok. Out of 198 samples, the Rattus rattus complex was found to be most prevalent. The amplification of rickettsial gltA fragment gene (338 bp) by nested PCR assay revealed positive results in four samples, yielding a low prevalence of infection of 2.02%. DNA sequencing results confirmed that three samples were matched with Rickettsia typhi, and one was identified as R. felis. It is noteworthy that this is the first report of the occurrence of R. felis DNA in rodents in Southeast Asia.