DIVERSE BARTONELLA SPP. DETECTED IN WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) AND ASSOCIATED KEDS (LIPOPTENA MAZAMAE) IN THE SOUTHEASTERN USA

Abstract

There are many known species of <i>Bartonella</i>, Gram-negative bacteria that can cause febrile illness and fatality in humans and animals. These pathogens are often transmitted through hematophagous arthropod vectors such as fleas and lice. Despite increasing awareness about <i>Bartonella</i> spp. and their zoonotic potential, as well as existing literature on <i>Bartonella</i> spp. in cervids, little is known about the diversity of <i>Bartonella</i> spp. in white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i>) and their associated keds in the southeastern US. We examined the prevalence and diversity of <i>Bartonella</i> spp. in an enclosed herd of white-tailed deer and their ectoparasites, deer keds (<i>Lipoptena mazamae</i>), in Alabama. The overall prevalence of <i>Bartonella</i> infection in this population of deer was 16% (10/63) and 24% (23/96) in keds associated with deer that we sampled. Three species of <i>Bartonella</i> were identified in both deer and their keds: <i>Bartonella bovis</i>, <i>Bartonella schoenbuchensis</i>, and <i>Bartonella</i> sp. 1. Additionally, <i>Bartonella melophagi</i> was detected in white-tailed deer but not in the sampled keds. The detection of four <i>Bartonella</i> species in one population of white-tailed deer, three of which have known zoonotic potential, highlights the importance of <i>Bartonella</i> diversity within host species.