Molecular Surveillance of Yersinia pestis from Stray Dogs and Cats and their Fleas in Algiers

• Published in: Archives of Razi Institute Vol. 79; no. 2; pp. 279 - 286
• Main Authors: Zaidi, S, Bessas, A, Hezil, D, Benseghir, H, Bitam, I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute 01.04.2024
• Subjects: Algeria - epidemiology; Animals; Cat Diseases - epidemiology; Cat Diseases - microbiology; Cat Diseases - parasitology; Cats; Ctenocephalides - microbiology; Dog Diseases - epidemiology; Dog Diseases - microbiology; Dog Diseases - parasitology; Dogs; Flea Infestations - epidemiology; Flea Infestations - parasitology; Flea Infestations - veterinary; Original; Plague - epidemiology; Plague - microbiology; Plague - veterinary; Prevalence; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; Siphonaptera - microbiology; Xenopsylla - microbiology; Yersinia pestis - genetics; Yersinia pestis - isolation & purification; Algeria; Plague; Algeria; Fleas; Dog; Cat
• ISSN: 0365-3439; 2008-9872; 2008-9872
• DOI: 10.32592/ARI.2024.79.2.279

In recent years, plague has re-emerged in several countries around the world and remains endemic in some regions. In a natural environment and in contact with rodents and their fleas, stray carnivores are most at risk of catching the disease and maintaining the spread of the bacillus. The present study aimed to demonstrate the presence or absence of in stray dogs and cats in the Algiers region by molecular methods and thus determine their role in epidemiology of this disease. Molecular research of has also been conducted on fleas from these carnivores. Preliminary identification of ectoparasites to genus and species level was performed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction targeting gene was used to survey the plague agent in fleas and carnivores captured as stray animals in Algiers (Algeria). Positive qPCR results were tested by PCR sequencing using glpD gene. Among 327 fleas captured from 107 dogs and 365 fleas from 140 cats, prevalence of was higher in cats (86,96%), whereas that of and were higher in dogs (90,57% and 92,63%, respectively). While internal and external PCR positive controls were positive, none of the 107 dogs spleens and 140 cats spleens and none of the 256 analyzed fleas were positive for . These results suggested that stray cats and dogs are unlikely sources of plague in Algeria, contrary to what has been reported in other plague-endemic countries. This observation illustrates that the plague epidemiological chain varies from one region to another.