Fleas on rats transmit harmful bacteria heart.

Bacteria can cause dangerous human heart disease, which is transmitted by live fleas on mice. This raises concerns that the disease will become a serious problem for people. The study, published in the December issue of Medical Microbiology, shows brown rats, the largest and most popular mouse in Europe, may be the subject of the bacteria.

Since the early 1990s, over 20 species of Bartonella bacteria have been discovered. They are considered to be pathogens that are growing for animals because they can cause serious illness for humans worldwide, from heart disease to infection of the spleen and nervous system.

Professor Chao-Chin Chang of Chung Hsing National University in Taiwan said: 'A new species called Bartonella rochalimae has recently been found in patients with spleen swelling. This patient once went to South America. The event has raised concerns that it may be a new pathogen. Therefore, we decided to investigate further to determine whether rodents live close to human environments that carry this bacterium. '

Scientists have found that rodents carry a number of pathogenic Bartonella species, such as B. elizabethae, which can cause endocarditis and B. grahamii that cause neuritis in humans. Although scientists are unsure about the main route of transmission, these infectious diseases are at high risk of spreading through fleas. Ctenophthalmus nobilis is a dead beetle that lives on the hamster body that has been shown to infect many different Bartonella bacteria. These pathogens were also found in dead beetles parasitic on gerbils, cotton rats and brown rats.

Brown mouse. Brown rats can carry bacteria that cause serious heart disease in humans. Fleas that live on parasites can transmit disease. (Photo: iStockphoto / Andrew Howe)

Professor Chang said: 'We analyzed bacteria on Rattus norvegicus in Taiwan. This is also the most common brown rat species in Europe. By analyzing the DNA of the bacteria, we found a strain that is very close to B. rochalimae recently isolated from an infection in the United States. '

The study took samples from 58 rodents, including 53 brown rats and 2 small mice Mus musculus with 3 black rats of Rattus rattus. Six of them were found to contain Bartonella, including five brown rats . Four of the 58 animals carry B. elizabethae causing human heart disease, and one of the black mice carries B. tribocorum. However, scientists have found that a strain of bacteria has never been found in rodents before. It is a strain of bacteria closely related to B. rochalimae.

According to Professor Chang, 'since the study was only conducted in a small sample size, we cannot say for sure that the common brown rat spreads B. rochalimae. However, a number of different Bartonella species are certainly transmitted through rodents. Research results raise concerns about the existence of host and infectious vectors. Certainly confirm the need for further research '.

Refer
Jen-Wei Lin et al.Isolation of Bartonella in Taiwan from rodents species including a strain closely related to 'Bartonella rochalimae' from Rattus norvegicus.Journal of Medical Microbiology, 2008;57 (12): 1496 DOI: 10.1099 / jmm.0.2008 / 004671-0