Open AccessVariability of Bartonella Genotypes among Small Mammals in Spain
Author(s) -
Horacio Gil,
Coral García-Esteban,
Jesús F. Barandika,
Jordi Peig,
Álvaro Toledo,
Raquel Escudero,
Isabel Jado,
Manuela Rodríguez-Vargas,
Cristina García-Amil,
Bruno Lobo,
P. Roales,
Isabel Rodríguez-Moreno,
A. Sonia Olmeda,
Ana L. García-Pérez,
Pedro Anda
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
applied and environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.552
H-Index - 324
eISSN - 1070-6291
pISSN - 0099-2240
DOI - 10.1128/aem.01963-10
Subject(s) - bartonella , genotype , biology , intergenic region , veterinary medicine , molecular epidemiology , polymerase chain reaction , genotyping , virology , zoology , genetics , gene , genome , medicine
In order to study whichBartonella genotypes are circulating among small mammals in Spain, we analyzed the spleens of 395 animals from three different areas—247 animals from the Basque Country (northern Spain), 121 animals from Catalonia (northeastern Spain), and 27 animals from Madrid (central Spain)—by a triplex PCR combined with a reverse line blot previously described by our group. The prevalence ofBartonella was 26.8% (106/395), and in 4.8% (19/395) of the animals more than oneBartonella genotype was detected. The study ofgltA and the intergenic transcribed spacer in the positive samples demonstrated a large diversity, allowing the assignation of them into 22 genotypes. The most prevalent genotypes were 2 and 3, which are closely related toBartonella taylorii . In addition, nine genotypes were associated with specific mammal species. Genotypes close to the zoonoticBartonella grahamii ,Bartonella elizabethae , andBartonella rochalimae were also detected. Ten genotypes showed a percentage of similarity with knownBartonella species lower than 96%, suggesting the presence of potential new species. Further studies of the impact of these pathogens on human health and especially in cases of febrile illness in Spain are strongly recommended. Furthermore, our method has been updated with 21 new probes in a final panel of 36, which represents a robust molecular tool for clinical and environmentalBartonella studies.