Arctic fleas are not fussy eaters: Bartonella bacteria may hitchhike between birds and mammals in a tundra ecosystem

• Published in: Arctic Science
• Main Authors: Kayla J. Buhler, Breeze Agar, Terry Galloway, Ray Alisauskas, Emily Jenkins
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; French
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2022
• Subjects: Arctic fox; Bartonella; flea; geese; rodents; Nunavut; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Environmental engineering; TA170-171; Arctic; Karrak Lake; Arctic Fox; Tundra; Vulpes lagopus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0014; https://doaj.org/article/d13aa31f3da64224905247fc7cc39ce4

Within the terrestrial Arctic ecosystem at Karrak Lake, Nunavut, Bartonella bacteria (B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and B. henselae) have been detected in avian nest fleas (Ceratophyllus vagabundus vagabundus) and the blood of Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758)). We further investigate th...