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MOLECULAR DETECTION OF BARTONELLA QUINTANA, B. ELIZABETHAE, B. KOEHLERAE, B. DOSHIAE, B. TAYLORII, AND RICKETTSIA FELIS IN RODENT FLEAS COLLECTED IN KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

The prevalences of Bartonella spp. and Rickettsia spp. were investigated using molecular methods in 77 rodent fleas collected in November 2002 by the French forces detachment in Kabul, Afghanistan. Overall, Bartonella DNA was detected in 15.5% of gerbil fleas and 40.5% of rat fleas, whereas Rickettsia felis was found in 9% of gerbil fleas. We described for the first time in this country Bartonella quintana, B. koehlerae, B. taylorii, and Rickettsia felis in fleas from the gerbil species Meriones lybicus, and B. elizabethae and B. doshiae in rat fleas. Of these, B. quintana, B. elizabethae, B. koehlerae, and R. felis are recognized human pathogens. These results emphasize the potential risk of flea-borne infections transmitted by rodents in this area, and suggest that preventive measures should be taken in the general framework of zoonoses management.

Received September 26, 2004. Accepted for publication March 14, 2005.

Acknowledgments: We thank Annick Abeille and Betty Joseph for technical assistance, Professor Francis Peter for identification of rodent species, and Philippe Drouet for help in trapping rodents.

^* Address correspondence to Dr. Jean-Lou Marié, Secteur Vétérinaire Interarmées, BP 05, 31998 Toulouse Armées, France, E-mail: jean-lou.marie{at}wanadoo.fr

Authors’ addresses: Jean-Lou Marié, Secteur Vétérinaire Interarmées de Toulouse, BP 05, 31998 Toulouse Armées, France. Pierre-Edouard Fournier, Jean-Marc Rolain, and Didier Raoult, Unité des Rickettsies, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 6020, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 05, France. Sébastien Briolant, Institut de Médecine Tropicale du Service de Santé des Armées, Le Pharo, 13998 Marseille Armées, France. Bernard Davoust, Direction du Service de Santé en Région Sud-Est, BP 16, 69998 Lyon Armées, France.

Reprint requests: Jean-Lou Marié, Secteur Vétérinaire Interarmées, BP 05, 31998 Toulouse Armées, France, Telephone: 33-5-62-57-44-18, Fax: 33-5-62-57-44-20, E-mail: jean-lou.marie{at}wanadoo.fr.

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