Microorganisms associated with hedgehog arthropods.

Hedgehogs are small synanthropic mammals that live in rural areas as well as in urban and suburban areas. They can be reservoirs of several microorganisms, including certain pathogenic agents that cause human and animal public health issues. Hedgehogs are often parasitized by blood-sucking arthropods, mainly hard ticks and fleas, which in turn can also carry various vector-born microorganisms of zoonotic importance. Many biotic factors, such as urbanization and agricultural mechanization, have resulted in the destruction of the hedgehog's natural habitats, leading these animals to take refuge near human dwellings, seeking food and shelter in parks and gardens and exposing humans to zoonotic agents that can be transmitted either directly by them or indirectly by their ectoparasites. In this review, we focus on the microorganisms detected in arthropods sampled from hedgehogs worldwide. Several microorganisms have been reported in ticks collected from these animals, including various Borrelia spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., and Rickettsia spp. species as well as Coxiella burnetii and Leptospira spp. As for fleas, C. burnetii, Rickettsia spp., Wolbachia spp., Mycobacterium spp. and various Bartonella species have been reported. The detection of these microorganisms in arthropods does not necessarily mean that they can be transmitted to humans and animals. While the vector capacity and competence of fleas and ticks for some of these microorganisms has been proven, in other cases the microorganisms may have simply been ingested with blood taken from an infected host. Further investigations are needed to clarify this issue. As hedgehogs are protected animals, handling them is highly regulated, making it difficult to conduct epidemiological studies on them. Their ectoparasites represent a very interesting source of information on microorganisms circulating in populations of these animals, especially vector-born ones.

Booklice Liposcelis bostrychophila Naturally Infected by Rickettsia felis Cause Fever and Experimental Pneumonia in Mammals.

BACKGROUND: Rickettsia felis is emergent in tropical areas. Despite its high morbidity, its natural history has not yet been fully determined. We investigated the role of the common household booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila, recently found to harbor R. felis. METHODS: Blood samples from 372 febrile patients from Senegalese villages, as well as nasal and skin samples from 264 asymptomatic individuals, were tested for cat flea-associated and booklice-associated strains of R. felis. Dust samples from beds were collected to isolate booklice and R. felis. Mice were infected with aerosol of R. felis strain from naturally infected booklice. RESULTS: Forty febrile patients (11%) were infected by R. felis, including 26 (7%) by the booklice-associated strain. Nine nasal samples (3.4%) and 28 skin samples (10.6%) contained R. felis, including 7 and 24, respectively, with the booklice-associated strain. The presence of live L. bostrychophila was observed in 32 dust samples (16.8%); R. felis was identified in 62 dust samples (32.5%). Several mice samples were positive for R. felis; interstitial lymphohistiocytic infiltrates were identified in lungs. CONCLUSIONS: Liposcelis bostrychophila may be a reservoir of R. felis. The booklice-associated strain is pathogenic in mammals, causing pneumonia. Human infection may be acquired via inhalation of infected booklice particles.

Microorganisms associated with the North African hedgehog Atelerix algirus and its parasitizing arthropods in Algeria.

Hedgehogs are small mammals. They are potential reservoirs of various zoonotic agents. This study was conducted in Bouira, a north-central region of Algeria. A total of 21 Atelerix algirus corpses were picked up on roadsides and gardens. Hedgehog kidneys, spleens and ectoparasites were collected. Twelve hedgehogs were infested with ectoparasites, including Archaeopsylla erinacei, Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. and Haemaphysalis erinacei. Hedgehog organs and randomly selected arthropods were screened for microorganisms using molecular methods. Coxiella burnetii was detected in kidneys, spleens, A. erinacei, Hae. erinacei and Rh. sanguineus s.l. Leptospira interrogans was detected in kidneys. Rickettsia felis and Rickettsia massiliae were detected respectively in A. erinacei and in Rh. sanguineus s.l. DNA of an uncultivated Rickettsia spp. was found in Hae. erinacei. Wolbachia spp. DNA was detected in fleas. The DNA of potential new Bartonella and Ehrlichia species were found respectively in fleas and ticks. This study highlights the presence of DNA from a broad range of microorganisms in hedgehogs and their ectoparasites that may be responsible for zoonoses in Algeria.

New records of bacteria in different species of fleas from France and Spain.

In this study, we assessed the presence of vector-borne microorganisms in different species of fleas collected from different hosts in diverse areas of South-Western Europe by molecular methods. A total of 319 fleas belonging to eight different species was tested for the presence of eight microorganisms. Wolbachia spp. endosymbionts were detected in Ctenocephalides felis, Pulex irritans, Archaeopsylla erinacei and Ctenophthalmus baeticus boisseauorum specimens. Rickettsia felis, an emerging pathogen, was detected in C. felis, A. erinacei and Ct. b. boisseauorum. Rickettsia typhi, the agent of murine typhus was detected for the first time in A. erinacei and Mycobacterium spp. were detected for the first time in fleas (C. felis, P. irritans and A. erinacei). Lastly, five different species of Bartonella were detected in fleas' DNA in this study, including a possible new bacterium belonging to this genus. With this study, we updated the knowledge of the flea-borne bacteria present in the South-West of Europe reinforcing the idea about the necessity to expand and increase the current knowledge on flea-borne pathogens.

MALDI-TOF MS identification of Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus bedbugs.

Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius and C. hemipterus) have reemerged as a major public health problem around the world. Their bites cause various skin lesions as well as discomfort and anxiety. Their role as potential vectors of various infectious agents is discussed. Accordingly, all suspected cases of bedbug infestations need to be documented thoroughly, with an unequivocal identification of the arthropods involved, if any are present. Although morphological identification is easily and quickly performed by entomologists or professionals, it can be challenging otherwise. Also, distinguishing Cimex lectularius and C. hemipterus requires entomological expertise. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry has been recently presented as an additional tool for arthropod identification. In this study, we assess the use of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of laboratory and wild strains of C. lectularius and C. hemipterus. Several body parts of laboratory reared C. lectularius specimens were used to develop a MALDI-TOF MS protocol for bedbug identification, which was later validated using five other laboratory and wild populations of C. hemipterus and C. lectularius. A total of 167C. lectularius and C. hemipterus bedbug specimens (98 laboratory specimens and 69 wild specimens) were submitted to MALDI-TOF MS analysis. 143/167 (85.63%) provided high quality MS spectra. The in-lab database was then upgraded with a total of 20 reference spectra from all bedbug populations and the rest of the MS spectra (123 bedbugs) were blind tested. All specimens were properly identified to the species level using MALDI-TOF MS and 86,25% (69/80) were aptly identified according to their origin with LSVs ranging from 1.867 to 2.861. MALDI-TOF MS appears as a reliable additional tool for the identification of these two anthropophilic species.