Rickettsia and Bartonella species in fleas from Reunion Island

Dieme Constentin (1) , Philippe Parola (2) , Vanina Guernier (3, 4) , Gildas Le Minter , Koussay Dellagi (4) , Pablo Tortosa (3, 4) , Didier Raoult (1) , Cristina Socolovschi (1)

1 URMITE - Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales Emergentes
2 Hôpital Nord [CHU - APHM]
3 PIMIT - Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical
4 CRVOI - Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien

Rickettsia felis, Rickettsia typhi, and Bartonella DNA was detected by molecular tools in 12% of Rattus rattus fleas (Xenopsylla species) collected from Reunion Island. One-third of the infested commensal rodents captured during 1 year carried at least one infected flea. As clinical signs of these zoonoses are non-specific, they are often misdiagnosed.

Mots clés: Bartonella; siphonaptera; fleas; puces; Rickettsia

Domaines: Interactions entre organismes

Dieme Constentin, Philippe Parola, Vanina Guernier, Gildas Le Minter, Koussay Dellagi, et al.. Rickettsia and Bartonella species in fleas from Reunion Island. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2015, 92 (3), pp.617-619. ⟨10.4269/ajtmh⟩. ⟨hal-01145996⟩