Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Molecular Prevalence, Genetic Diversity, and Tissue Tropism of Bartonella Species in Small Mammals from Yunnan Province, China

Pei-Yu Han
ORCID logo ,
Fen-Hui Xu
,
Jia-Wei Tian
,
Jun-Ying Zhao
,
Ze Yang
,
Wei Kong
,
Bo Wang
ORCID logo ,
Li-Jun Guo
,
Yun-Zhi Zhang
* ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 29 March 2024 / Approved: 30 March 2024 / Online: 1 April 2024 (17:07:19 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Han, P.-Y.; Xu, F.-H.; Tian, J.-W.; Zhao, J.-Y.; Yang, Z.; Kong, W.; Wang, B.; Guo, L.-J.; Zhang, Y.-Z. Molecular Prevalence, Genetic Diversity, and Tissue Tropism of Bartonella Species in Small Mammals from Yunnan Province, China. Animals 2024, 14, 1320. Han, P.-Y.; Xu, F.-H.; Tian, J.-W.; Zhao, J.-Y.; Yang, Z.; Kong, W.; Wang, B.; Guo, L.-J.; Zhang, Y.-Z. Molecular Prevalence, Genetic Diversity, and Tissue Tropism of Bartonella Species in Small Mammals from Yunnan Province, China. Animals 2024, 14, 1320.

Abstract

Bartonella species, intracellular parasitic zoonotic pathogens, has drawn increasing attention for their diverse host range and associated human diseases. This study investigates Bartonella infection in small mammals in Yunnan Province, China, focusing on tissue tropism. 333 small mammals were sampled from 13 species, 3 orders, 4 families, and 4 genera in Heqing and Gongshan Counties. Conventional PCR and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) were utilized for detection and quantification, followed by bioinformatic analysis of obtained DNA sequences. Results show a 31.5% detection rate, varying across species. Notably, Apodemus chevrieri, Eothenomys eleusis, Niviventer fulvescens, Rattus tanezumi, Episoriculus leucops, Anourosorex squamipes, and Ochotona Thibetana exhibited infection rates of 44.4%, 27.7%, 100.0%, 6.3%, 60.0%, 23.5%, and 22.2%, respectively. Genetic analysis identified 30, 10, and 5 strains based on ssrA, rpoB, and gltA genes, with nucleotide identities ranging from 92.1% to 100.0%. Bartonella strains were assigned to B. grahamii, B. rochalimae, B. sendai, B. koshimizu, B. phoceensis, B. taylorii, and a new species identified in the Episoriculus leucops (GS136). Tissue distribution analysis revealed varied copy numbers across different tissues, with the highest load in spleen. These findings underscore Bartonella's diverse species and host range in Yunnan Province, highlighting its broad tissue tropism in small mammals.

Keywords

Bartonella; small mammals; genetic diversity; evolution; tissue tropism

Subject

Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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