Molecular Survey of Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Bartonella spp., and Borrelia spp. in Fleas and Lice in Ethiopia

Bacterial arthropod-borne pathogens can often cause fever in Africa, but rural laboratories in these settings are usually too basic to provide a precise picture of their epidemiological impact. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of bacterial pathogens in fleas and lice in a rural area of southeast Ethiopia. Between July and November 2013, we extracted DNA from 91 fleas ( Ctenocephalides felis [ n = 50; 54.9%], Pulex irritans [ n = 37; 40.1%], and C. canis [ n = 4; 4.4%] and 30 lice ( Pediculus humanus capitis [ n = 16; 53.3%] and Pediculus humanus humanus [ n = 14; 46.7%]), using two quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses to look for bacteria from the genera: Anaplasma , Bartonella , Borrelia , Coxiella , Ehrlichia , Francisella , and Rickettsia . Of the 91 fleas analyzed, pathogens were present in 79 (86.8%), including Rickettsia felis ( n = 41; 45%), Anaplasma platys ( n = 40; 44.0%), Rickettsia monacensis ( n = 2; 2.2%), Ehrlichia muris- like agent ( n = 1; 1.1%), and Bartonella clarridgeiae ( n = 1; 1.1%). P. irritans was the flea species most frequently infected with A. platys (67.7%), followed by C. felis (30.7%) ( p