AUTHOR=Yao Xin-Yan , Liu Hong , Sun Jing , Zhang Yu-Qian , Lv Zhi-Hang , Zhang Xue-Lian , Shao Jian-Wei 

TITLE=Epidemiology and Genetic Diversity of Bartonella in Rodents in Urban Areas of Guangzhou, Southern China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.942587

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.942587

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Bartonella</italic> spp. are gram-negative bacteria that can infect a wide spectrum of mammals. Rodents are considered to be the natural reservoir of many <italic>Bartonella</italic> species that are transmitted by various blood-sucking arthropods. The close contact between rodents and humans in urban areas increased the chance of transmitting rodent-borne <italic>Bartonella</italic> to humans. Investigation of the epidemiological characteristics of <italic>Bartonella</italic> infection in rodents is of great significance for the prevention and control of human Bartonellosis. In this study, rodents were captured to monitor the prevalence of <italic>Bartonella</italic> in urban areas of Guangzhou city. Six official or candidate species of <italic>Bartonella</italic>, including two confirmed zoonotic species, were detected with an overall prevalence of 6.4% in rodents captured herein. In addition, <italic>Rattus norvegicus</italic> was the predominant host species for <italic>Bartonella</italic> infection, and <italic>B. queenslandensis</italic> was the dominant species circulating in rodents in these areas. These results provide insights into the prevalence and genetic diversity of <italic>Bartonella</italic> species circulating in rodents in the urban areas of Guangzhou, and also urged the surveillance of rodent-associated <italic>Bartonella</italic> species in these areas.</p>