Molecular evidence of Bartonella spp. in wild felids from Brazil

Among Felidae, domestic cats play a role as reservoirs for Bartonella henselae, Bartonella clarridgeiae, and Bartonella koehlerae. Despite the well-known relationship between Bartonella spp. and domestic cats, to date, there is still a paucity of reports on Bartonella spp. in wild felids. The aim of this study was to molecularly detect and characterize Bartonella spp. in blood and tissue samples from wild felids sampled in Brazil. Among 291 DNA samples (211 blood, 77 spleens and three livers), 3.09% (9/291) were positive in the Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) assay for Bartonella spp. based on the nuoG gene: 1/44 Leopardus pardalis, 3/61 Leopardus geoffroyi, 1/66 Panthera onca, 1/3 Herpailurus yagouaroundi, and 3/32 Leopardus wiedii. In the phylogenetic analyses, while the gltA sequence detected in L. wiedii grouped with Bartonella henselae, the gltA and ftsZ sequences detected in L. geoffroyi clustered within the same subclade as Bartonella sp. sequences previously identified in wild rodents and associated fleas. These findings reinforce that besides harboring Bartonella species associated with cats, wild felids also may act as accidental hosts for Bartonella species associated with wild small mammals, possibly as a consequence of predation.