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International audience; We screened blood from 59 bats from French Guiana for Bartonella spp. PCRs were positive for 13.6% and culture was positive in one Noctilio albiventris and one Pteronotus parnellii, as well as in Ornithodoros hasei ticks collected from bats. Two isolated strains represent possible two new species.

International audience; In French Guiana, located on the northeastern coast of South America, bats of different species are very numerous. The infection of bats and their ticks with zoonotic bacteria, especially Rickettsia species, is so far unknown. In order to improve knowledge of these zoonotic pathogens in this French overseas department, the presence and diversity of tick-borne bacteria was investigated with molecular tools in bat ticks. In the beginning of 2013, 32 bats were caught in Saint-Jean-du-Maroni, an area close to the coast of French Guiana, and the ticks of these animals were collected. A total of 354 larvae of Argasidae soft ticks (Ornithodoros hasei) from 12 bats (Noctilio albiventris) were collected and 107 of them were analysed. DNA was extracted from the samples and quantitative real-time PCR was carried out to detect Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp. and Coxiella burnetii. All tested samples were negative for Bartonella spp., Borrelia spp. and Coxiella burnetii. Rickettsia DNA was detected in 31 (28.9%) ticks. An almost entire (1118 base pairs long) sequence of the gltA gene was obtained after the amplification of some positive samples on conventional PCR and sequencing. A Bayesian tree was constructed using concatenated rrs, gltA, ompA, ompB, and gene D sequences. The study of characteristic sequences shows that this Rickettsia species is very close (98.3-99.8%) genetically to R. peacockii. Nevertheless, the comparative analysis of sequences obtained from gltA, ompA, ompB, rrs and gene D fragments demonstrated that this Rickettsia is different from the other members of the spotted fever group. The sequences of this new species were deposited in GenBank as Candidatus Rickettsia wissemanii. This is the first report showing the presence of nucleic acid of Rickettsia in Ornithodoros hasei ticks from South American bats. (C) 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Six larvae of the genus Ornithodoros were collected in Rio Lavayén, approximately 1km north of Santa Rita, San Pedro Department (24º 28´S, 64º 48´W), Jujuy Province, Argentina, on three species of bats: Molossops temminckii (Burmeister, 1854) (Molossidae), Myotis albescens (E. Geoffroy, 1806) (Vespertilionidae) and Ornithodoros were collected in Rio Lavayén, approximately 1km north of Santa Rita, San Pedro Department (24º 28´S, 64º 48´W), Jujuy Province, Argentina, on three species of bats: Molossops temminckii (Burmeister, 1854) (Molossidae), Myotis albescens (E. Geoffroy, 1806) (Vespertilionidae) and Molossops temminckii (Burmeister, 1854) (Molossidae), Myotis albescens (E. Geoffroy, 1806) (Vespertilionidae) and (Burmeister, 1854) (Molossidae), Myotis albescens (E. Geoffroy, 1806) (Vespertilionidae) and Histiotus laephotis Thomas, 1916 (Vespertilionidae). All six larvae were identified as belonging to the Thomas, 1916 (Vespertilionidae). All six larvae were identified as belonging to the Ornithodoros hasei species group, whose members are common parasites of bats throughout the Neotropical Zoogeographic Region. This is the first record of the O. hasei species group in Argentina, and M. temminckii species group, whose members are common parasites of bats throughout the Neotropical Zoogeographic Region. This is the first record of the O. hasei species group in Argentina, and M. temminckii O. hasei species group in Argentina, and M. temminckii and H. laephotis are new hosts for this tick. Studies of the morphology, genetics and ecology of O. hasei across its vast range will be necessary in order to determine whether sibling species are present. H. laephotis are new hosts for this tick. Studies of the morphology, genetics and ecology of O. hasei across its vast range will be necessary in order to determine whether sibling species are present. Fil: Nava, Santiago. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; Argentina Fil: Venzal, Jose M.. Universidad de la República; Uruguay Fil: Díaz, María Mónica. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Programa de Investigación de Biodiversidad Argentina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina Fil: Mangold, Atilio Jose. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; Argentina Fil: Guglielmone, Alberto Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; Argentina