Geographic distribution and molecular diversity of Bartonella infections in moose, Alces alces, in Finland.

Pérez Vera, Cristina; Aaltonen, K; Spillmann, T; Vapalahti, Olli; Sironen, T (2016). Geographic distribution and molecular diversity of Bartonella infections in moose, Alces alces, in Finland. Journal of wildlife diseases, 52(2), pp. 209-216. Wildlife Disease Association 10.7589/2015-05-131

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Moose, Alces alces (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) in Finland are heavily infested with deer keds, Lipoptena cervi (Diptera: Hippoboschidae). The deer ked, which carries species of the genus Bartonella, has been proposed as a vector for the transmission of bartonellae to animals and humans. Previously, bartonella DNA was found in deer keds as well as in moose blood collected in Finland. We investigated the prevalence and molecular diversity of Bartonella spp. infection from blood samples collected from free-ranging moose. Given that the deer ked is not present in northernmost Finland, we also investigated whether there were geographic differences in the prevalence of bartonella infection in moose. The overall prevalence of bartonella infection was 72.9% (108/148). Geographically, the prevalence was highest in the south (90.6%) and lowest in the north (55.9%). At least two species of bartonellae were identified by multilocus sequence analysis. Based on logistic regression analysis, there was no significant association between bartonella infection and either age or sex; however, moose from outside the deer ked zone were significantly less likely to be infected (P<0.015) than were moose hunted within the deer ked zone.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV) 05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV) > Small Animal Clinic 05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV) > Small Animal Clinic > Intensive Care Unit, Small Animal Clinic
UniBE Contributor:	Pérez Vera, Cristina
Subjects:	600 Technology > 630 Agriculture 500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology 500 Science > 590 Animals (Zoology)
ISSN:	0090-3558
Publisher:	Wildlife Disease Association
Language:	English
Submitter:	Cristina Pérez Vera
Date Deposited:	09 Jun 2016 13:38
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:55
Publisher DOI:	10.7589/2015-05-131
PubMed ID:	26967131
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/81900