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Fleas as hosts and vectors of bacteria
Hovorková, Jana ; Hammerbauerová, Iva (advisor) ; Myslivcová Fučíková, Alena (referee)
Fleas (Siphonaptera) are worldwide significant ectoparasites and vectors of several human pathogens. The most serious flea-born infections include plague, rickettsiosis and bartonellosis caused by Yersinia pestis, Rickettsia spp. and Bartonella spp. I have focused on the microbiome of fleas with an emphasis on bacteria which are transmitted by fleas or are pathogenic, mutualistic or commensal in relation to their flea host, from the point of view of their mutual interactions. The composition of the flea microbiome can be influenced both by mutual interactions between individual bacteria and by many different factors, which include, for example, the species or gender of flea or its host, humidity and temperature of the environment or geographic location.
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Bartonella spp. Infection in Edible Dormice and Their Fleas
Klimešová, Běla ; Votýpka, Jan (advisor) ; Balážová, Alena (referee)
Bartonellosis is a group of emerging infectious diseases caused by facultatively intraerythrocytic bacteria transmitted between vertebrate hosts by arthropod vectors. Although only some Bartonella spp. are traditionally associated with human diseases, it was proposed that virtually any species can have zoonotic potential. The highest diversity of species was described from rodents acting as reservoirs with variable prevalence reaching up to 90%. Fleas associated with mammalian hosts play an important role in the Bartonella sp. lifecycle and are described to act not only as competent vectors but also as reservoirs for several species. The role of edible dormice (Glis glis), which often interacts with humans, and their fleas in the bartonellae transmission and lifecycle has so far been unknown; therefore, the prevalence and diversity of Bartonella spp. in edible dormice in the Czech Republic were studied. Complementary PCR analysis of four loci (gltA, rpoB, ftsZ, ITS), MALDI- TOF, and cultivation was performed to identify Bartonella sp. infections. The prevalence reaching 90% was found in dormice and their fleas. Altogether, four species were found and several genotypes of B. grahamii-like and yet undescribed Bartonella sp. were cultivated, and their morphology and growth requirements were...
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