Rickettsiae in arthropods collected from the North African Hedgehog ( Atelerix algirus ) and the desert hedgehog ( Paraechinus aethiopicus) in Algeria

Abstract Hedgehogs have become a popular pet despite their potential role in zoonotic disease transmission. We conducted an entomological study in a mountainous region of northeast Algeria in which we collected 387 fleas ( Archeopsylla erinacei ) and 342 ticks ( Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Haemaphysalis erinacei ) from Paraechinus aethiopicus and Atelerix algirus hedgehogs. Of the hedgehogs sampled, 77.7% and 91% were infested with fleas and ticks, respectively. Significantly more ticks and fleas were collected from A. algirus than from P. aethiopicus. Rickettsia felis was detected in 95.5% of fleas and R. massiliae was detected in 6.25% of Rh. sanguineus ticks by molecular tools. A new Rickettsia species of the spotted fever group was detected in 11.25% of Rh. sanguineus and in 77% of H. erinacei ticks. Overall, we show that hedgehogs can act as hosts for ectoparasites infected with several rickettsial agents. These data justify a more detailed investigation of animal reservoirs for Rickettsiae.