Detection of Bartonella spp. in foxes' populations in Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) coupling geospatially-based techniques
Bartonella is a genus of bacteria known to cause various rare but potentially dangerous diseases in humans and wildlife. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of Bartonella spp. in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) and to explore the potential...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1388440/full |
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| author | Annalisa Viani Tommaso Orusa Sara Divari Stella Lovisolo Stefania Zanet Riccardo Orusa Enrico Borgogno-Mondino Enrico Bollo |
| author_facet | Annalisa Viani Tommaso Orusa Sara Divari Stella Lovisolo Stefania Zanet Riccardo Orusa Enrico Borgogno-Mondino Enrico Bollo |
| author_sort | Annalisa Viani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bartonella is a genus of bacteria known to cause various rare but potentially dangerous diseases in humans and wildlife. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of Bartonella spp. in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) and to explore the potential association between environmental humidity and Bartonella infection using remote sensing data. A total of 114 spleen samples were collected from hunted red foxes and screened for Bartonella spp. DNA using a qPCR assay targeting the ssrA locus. Samples that tested positive were further analyzed using end-point PCR to detect the ssrA, gltA, and rpoB loci. The overall prevalence of Bartonella spp. infection was found to be 7.9% (9/114), with a prevalence of 6.9% (7/101) in foxes from Piedmont and 15.4% (2/13) in foxes from Aosta Valley. Sequencing results identified Bartonella schoenbuchensis R1 as the most commonly isolated species (5/9, 62.5%), followed by Candidatus “Bartonella gerbillinarum” in two samples (2/9, 28.6%). To investigate the relationship between environmental factors and Bartonella infection, data from NASA USGS Landsat missions (TOA collection) from 2011 to 2022 were processed using Google Earth Engine. The Tasseled Cap Wetness Index (TCW), an indicator of landscape moisture, was calculated for each meteorological season. The study found that Bartonella spp. infections in foxes were positively associated with higher TCW values (>0.7). Canonical Correspondence Analysis further demonstrated a strong link between pathogen prevalence and municipal-level TCW, suggesting that TCW could be used as a parameter to facilitate disease management and control. This study provides a starting point for a more comprehensive epidemiological assessment of Bartonella spp. on a national scale and highlights the potential role of environmental humidity in influencing pathogen distribution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6db0a7b793d24dc587e1576ef77ea8c5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-6db0a7b793d24dc587e1576ef77ea8c52025-01-21T08:37:08ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692025-01-011110.3389/fvets.2024.13884401388440Detection of Bartonella spp. in foxes' populations in Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) coupling geospatially-based techniquesAnnalisa Viani0Tommaso Orusa1Sara Divari2Stella Lovisolo3Stefania Zanet4Riccardo Orusa5Enrico Borgogno-Mondino6Enrico Bollo7Azienda USL della Valle d'Aosta, S.C. Sanità Animale, Quart, ItalyGEO4Agri DISAFA Laboratory, Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Turin, Grugliasco, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, ItalyExperimental Zooprophilactic Institute of Piedmont, Liguria and Aosta Valley (IZS PLV) S.C Valle d'Aosta—CeRMAS (National Reference Center for Wildlife Diseases), Quart, ItalyGEO4Agri DISAFA Laboratory, Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Turin, Grugliasco, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, ItalyBartonella is a genus of bacteria known to cause various rare but potentially dangerous diseases in humans and wildlife. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of Bartonella spp. in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) and to explore the potential association between environmental humidity and Bartonella infection using remote sensing data. A total of 114 spleen samples were collected from hunted red foxes and screened for Bartonella spp. DNA using a qPCR assay targeting the ssrA locus. Samples that tested positive were further analyzed using end-point PCR to detect the ssrA, gltA, and rpoB loci. The overall prevalence of Bartonella spp. infection was found to be 7.9% (9/114), with a prevalence of 6.9% (7/101) in foxes from Piedmont and 15.4% (2/13) in foxes from Aosta Valley. Sequencing results identified Bartonella schoenbuchensis R1 as the most commonly isolated species (5/9, 62.5%), followed by Candidatus “Bartonella gerbillinarum” in two samples (2/9, 28.6%). To investigate the relationship between environmental factors and Bartonella infection, data from NASA USGS Landsat missions (TOA collection) from 2011 to 2022 were processed using Google Earth Engine. The Tasseled Cap Wetness Index (TCW), an indicator of landscape moisture, was calculated for each meteorological season. The study found that Bartonella spp. infections in foxes were positively associated with higher TCW values (>0.7). Canonical Correspondence Analysis further demonstrated a strong link between pathogen prevalence and municipal-level TCW, suggesting that TCW could be used as a parameter to facilitate disease management and control. This study provides a starting point for a more comprehensive epidemiological assessment of Bartonella spp. on a national scale and highlights the potential role of environmental humidity in influencing pathogen distribution.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1388440/fullBartonella spp.foxpublic healthepidemiologyGIS and remote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Annalisa Viani Tommaso Orusa Sara Divari Stella Lovisolo Stefania Zanet Riccardo Orusa Enrico Borgogno-Mondino Enrico Bollo Detection of Bartonella spp. in foxes' populations in Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) coupling geospatially-based techniques Frontiers in Veterinary Science Bartonella spp. fox public health epidemiology GIS and remote sensing |
| title | Detection of Bartonella spp. in foxes' populations in Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) coupling geospatially-based techniques |
| title_full | Detection of Bartonella spp. in foxes' populations in Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) coupling geospatially-based techniques |
| title_fullStr | Detection of Bartonella spp. in foxes' populations in Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) coupling geospatially-based techniques |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detection of Bartonella spp. in foxes' populations in Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) coupling geospatially-based techniques |
| title_short | Detection of Bartonella spp. in foxes' populations in Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) coupling geospatially-based techniques |
| title_sort | detection of bartonella spp in foxes populations in piedmont and aosta valley nw italy coupling geospatially based techniques |
| topic | Bartonella spp. fox public health epidemiology GIS and remote sensing |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1388440/full |
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