Investigation of the genetic diversity and flea-borne pathogens in Ctenocephalides felis samples collected from goats in İzmir and Şanlıurfa provinces of Turkey
Abstract The cat flea “Ctenocephalides felis” has veterinary and medical importance since it is a vector for numerous important pathogens. In this study, the genetic diversity of C. felis samples (n=117) collected from goats bred in eight different farms (located in İzmir and Şanlıurfa provinces of Turkey) was investigated by sequencing the mitochondrial cox1 gene, followed by phylogenetic tree, haplotype, genetic differentiation and gene flow analyses. In addition, Rickettsia spp. and Bartonella spp. which are zoonoses were screened in 27 pools comprising 249 flea samples by PCR. The phylogenetic tree showed that 127 flea samples were clustered in Clade 1 together with isolates from Australia, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, and India. Four haplotypes (haplotypes I, II, III and IV) were detected within the C. felis species. The most prevalent haplotype was haplotype I (57/117; 48.7%). Among the population of flea samples in İzmir and Şanlıurfa, the Fst and Nm values were 0.16261 and 2.57, respectively, indicating a moderate genetic differentiation and high gene flow. Rickettsia spp. was detected in four of C. felis pool samples whereas Bartonella spp. was detected in 25 of them. BLAST analysis identified R. raoultii as well as B. henselae and B. elizabethae. In conclusion, the findings showed that C. felis samples collected from goats in Turkey were classified within Clade 1 representing four different haplotypes with a moderate genetic diversity for the first time. Also, R. raoultii, B. henselae and B. elizabethae were demonstrated for the first time in cat flea samples collected in Turkey
