Molecular Survey of Rodent-Borne Infectious Agents in the Ferlo Region, Senegal

Joa Braïthe Mangombi-Pambou (1, 2, 3) , Laurent Granjon (4) , Fabien Flirden (2, 3) , Mamadou Kane (4, 5) , Youssoupha Niang (4, 5) , Bernard Davoust (2, 3) , Florence Fenollar (3, 6) , Oleg Mediannikov (2, 3)

1 CIRMF - Centre International de Recherches Médicales de Franceville
2 MEPHI - Microbes évolution phylogénie et infections
3 IHU Marseille - Institut Hospitalier Universitaire Méditerranée Infection
4 UMR CBGP - Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations
5 BIOPASS, ISRA-UCAD
6 VITROME - Vecteurs - Infections tropicales et méditerranéennes

Zoonotic pathogens are responsible for most infectious diseases in humans, with rodents being important reservoir hosts for many of these microorganisms. Rodents, thus, pose a significant threat to public health. Previous studies in Senegal have shown that rodents harbour a diversity of microorganisms, including human pathogens. Our study aimed to monitor the prevalence of infectious agents in outdoor rodents, which can be the cause of epidemics. We screened 125 rodents (both native and expanding) from the Ferlo region, around Widou Thiengoly, for different microorganisms. Analysis, performed on rodent spleens, detected bacteria from the Anaplasmataceae family (20%), Borrelia spp. (10%), Bartonella spp. (24%) and Piroplasmida (2.4%). Prevalences were similar between native and the expanding (Gerbillus nigeriae) species, which has recently colonised the region. We identified Borrelia crocidurae, the agent responsible for tick-borne relapsing fever, which is endemic in Senegal. We also identified two other not-yet-described bacteria of the genera Bartonella and Ehrlichia that were previously reported in Senegalese rodents. Additionally, we found a potential new species, provisionally referred to here as Candidatus Anaplasma ferloense. This study highlights the diversity of infectious agents circulating in rodent populations and the importance of describing potential new species and evaluating their pathogenicity and zoonotic potential.

Mots clés: rodents; infectious agents; multiple infections; zoonotic diseases; tick-borne zoonotic disease

Domaines: Maladies infectieuses

Joa Braïthe Mangombi-Pambou, Laurent Granjon, Fabien Flirden, Mamadou Kane, Youssoupha Niang, et al.. Molecular Survey of Rodent-Borne Infectious Agents in the Ferlo Region, Senegal. Genes, 2023, 14 (5), pp.1107. ⟨10.3390/genes14051107⟩. ⟨hal-04125929⟩