Zoonotic bacteria in fleas parasitizing common voles, northwestern Spain

• Published in: Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Main Authors: Rodríguez-Pastor, Ruth, Mougeot, François, Vidal, Dolors, Jado, Isabel, González Martín-Niño, Rosa, Escudero, Raquel, Luque-Larena, Juan José
• Other Authors: Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), European Commission, Banco Santander, Universidad de Valladolid
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) 2019
• Subjects: Microtus arvalis
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/217408; https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2507.181646; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100007515; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100003329; https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000780; https://doi.org/10.13039/100010784

Research Letter. We detected Francisella tularensis and Bartonella spp. in fleas parasitizing common voles (Microtus arvalis) from northwestern Spain; mean prevalence was 6.1% for F. tularensis and 51% for Bartonella spp. Contrasted vector–host associations in the prevalence of these bacteria suggest that fleas have distinct roles in the transmission cycle of each pathogen in nature. This work was supported by ECOVOLE (Factores ecologicos que influyen en la reproducción y dinámica poblacional del topillo campesino (Microtus arvalis) en medios agrarios; CGL2012-35348), ECOTULA (Ecología de la Tularemia: dinámica espacio-temporal, ciclos ecológicos de transmisión y mapas de riesgo en ecosistemas agrarios del NO de España; CGL2015-66962-C2-1-R), and RESERTULA (Microbiología de la Tularemia: circulación de Francisella tularensis en los ecosistemas agrarios del NO de España. Estudio de relaciones epidemiológicas y filogenéticas; CLG2015-66962-C2-2-R) projects funded by the Government of Spain (lMINECO/FEDER). R.R.-P. was supported by a PhD studentship from the University of Valladolid (co-funded by Banco Santander, RR 30/04/2014). Peer reviewed