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.
Authors
- Ana Paula Neuschrank Albano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0968-4907)
- Felipe Viana Manzano
- Tiago Chagas de Oliveira Tourinho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1056-200X)
- Vinícius Baggio-Souza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8077-5070)
- Marcos Rogério André (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1713-5222)
- João Fábio Soares (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7967-6569)
- Jorge Cherém
- Suelen Dias Segui
- Marcos Adriano Tortato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4928-5150)
- Adriano Rodrigues Lagos
- Flávia Pereira Tirelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9748-8721)
- Joares Adenilson May Júnior
- Felipe Bortolotto Peters (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7802-0293)
- Clara Morato Dias (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9348-4814)
- Marina Ochoa Favarini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4553-0083)
- Daniel Antônio Braga Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4531-3820)
- Sílvia Resende Terra
- Laura Berger Nunes
- Rosângela Zacarias Machado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5176-2940)
- João Vitor dos Santos Alves da Silva
- Hugo Borghesan Morzele
Institutions
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (BR)
- Universidade Federal de Pelotas (BR)
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros (BR)
- Núcleo de Pesquisas Aplicadas (Brazil) (BR)
- Elabora Consultoria (Brazil) (BR)
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Veterinary Research Communications
- Published
- 2026-10-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-026-11579-5
- Primary Topic
- Bartonella species infections research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Panthera
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul