Evidence of Yersinia pestis DNA from fleas in an endemic plague area of Zambia
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Date
2012
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC Research Notes
Abstract
Yersinia pestis is a bacterium that causes plague which infects a variety of mammals throughout the world. The disease is usually transmitted among wild rodents through a flea vector. The sources and routes of transmission of plague are poorly researched in Africa, yet remains a concern in several sub-Saharan countries. In
Zambia, the disease has been reported on annual basis with up to 20 cases per year, without investigating animal
reservoirs or vectors that may be responsible in the maintenance and propagation of the bacterium. In this study,
we undertook plague surveillance by using PCR amplification of the plasminogen activator gene in fleas.
Xenopsylla species of fleas were collected from 83 rodents trapped in a plague endemic area of Zambia.
Of these rodents 5 had fleas positive (6.02%) for Y. pestis plasminogen activator gene. All the Y. pestis positive
rodents were gerbils.
We conclude that fleas may be responsible in the transmission of Y. pestis and that PCR may provide
means of plague surveillance in the endemic areas of Zambia.
Description
BMC Research Notes 2012, 5:72
Keywords
Yersinia pestis DNA, Xenopsylla species, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Endemic plague, Zambia