RESUMO
To evaluate the risk for emerging human infections caused by zoonotic Bartonella spp. from exotic small mammals, we investigated the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in 546 small mammals (28 species) that had been imported into Japan as pets from Asia, North America, Europe, and the Middle and Near East. We obtained 407 Bartonella isolates and characterized them by molecular phylogenetic analysis of the citrate synthase gene, gltA. The animals examined carried 4 zoonotic Bartonella spp. that cause human endocarditis and neuroretinitis and 6 novel Bartonella spp. at a high prevalence (26.0%, 142/546). We conclude that exotic small mammals potentially serve as reservoirs of several zoonotic Bartonella spp.
Assuntos
Infecções por Bartonella/transmissão , Bartonella/isolamento & purificação , Doenças Transmissíveis Emergentes/microbiologia , Doenças Transmissíveis Emergentes/transmissão , Reservatórios de Doenças/microbiologia , Mamíferos/microbiologia , Zoonoses/microbiologia , Zoonoses/transmissão , Animais , Animais Domésticos/microbiologia , Bartonella/classificação , Bartonella/enzimologia , Bartonella/genética , Citrato (si)-Sintase/genética , Genes Bacterianos , Genótipo , Humanos , Japão , FilogeniaRESUMO
To clarify phylogenetic relationships and genetic diversity among Bartonella washoensis strains obtained from squirrels, multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) with the 16S rRNA, ftsZ, gltA, groEL, ribC, and rpoB genes was applied for 20 strains of B. washoensis isolated from five genera of squirrels (Tamias, Tamiasciurus, Glaucomys, Sciurus, and Spermophilus) within the family Sciuridae. Sequence similarities in the concatenated sequences of B. washoensis strains from squirrels of different genera ranged from 94.7% (Sciurus vs. Spermophilus) to 98.4% (Tamiasciurus vs. Glaucomys). Phylogenetic trees based on the concatenated sequences revealed that B. washoensis strains formed five distinct clades and each clade correlated with the genus of squirrel from which the strains were originally obtained. The discrimination was supported by 100% bootstrap values and posterior probabilities, respectively. These results suggest that B. washoensis strains may have co-speciated with their squirrel hosts and provide new insights into the application of the MLSA to identify sources of B. washoensis infection with accuracy.
Assuntos
Infecções por Bartonella/veterinária , Bartonella/classificação , Filogenia , Sciuridae/microbiologia , Animais , Técnicas de Tipagem Bacteriana , Bartonella/genética , Bartonella/isolamento & purificação , Infecções por Bartonella/genética , Sequência de Bases , DNA Bacteriano/genética , DNA Bacteriano/isolamento & purificação , Variação Genética , Interações Hospedeiro-Patógeno , Tipagem de Sequências Multilocus , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
Several fungi in the Aspergillus section Flavi have been widely used for fermentative food production, while some related species in the section are known to produce mycotoxin(s) that causes mycotic diseases. Common evolutionary markers, such as rRNA gene sequences and their internal transcribed spacers, cannot differentiate these non-aflatoxin-producing species from aflatoxin producers. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on four aflatoxin biosynthetic genes encoding aflR, aflT, norA, and vbs, which are more variable nucleotide sequences than rRNA genes, can distinguish safe koji molds, A. oryzae and A. sojae, from aflatoxin-producing strains, A. flavus, A. toxicarius and A. parasiticus.