Unravelling the Ctenocephalides felis felis-Bartonella henselae interactome by proteomic approaches

• Grant number: 19/09464-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Effective date (Start): March 02, 2020
• Effective date (End): March 01, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Rogério André
• Grantee: Marcos Rogério André
• Host Investigator: Edward Bealmear Breitschwerdt
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Research place: North Carolina State University (NC State), United States

Abstract

Among the several Ctenocephalides felis felis-borne pathogens, Bartonella henselae, the main etiological agent of cat scratch disease (CSD), stands out. This Gram-negative Alphaproteobacteria is naturally transmitted by C. felis felis among cats, which represent its main vertebrate reservoirs. Besides CSD, B. henselae has also been associated with endocarditis, osteomyelitis, neuroretinitis in immunocompetent persons, and bacillary angiomatosis, bacillary peliosis and endocarditis in immunocompromised individuals. Despite the importance of B. henselae as an emergent pathogen, the control of the diseases caused by this agent mostly relies on the use of ectoparasiticides against cat fleas. A vaccine targeting both flea fitness and pathogen competence is an attractive and environmentally-friend choice, requiring the identification of flea molecules with a dual effect. Therefore, it is desirable to gain more knowledge about the relationship between C. felis fleas and B. henselae, to better understand flea and pathogen biology, pathogen transmission dynamics, and new potential control approaches. The present work aims to investigate the proteins differentially represented in non-infected and B. henselae-infected C. felis felis fleas, representing the first step on the selection of potential anti-fleas and B. henselae vaccine candidates. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO; NEUPANE, PRADEEP; LAPPIN, MICHAEL; HERRIN, BRIAN; SMITH, VICKI; WILLIAMS, TAUFIKA ISLAM; COLLINS, LEONARD; BAI, HONGXIA; JORGE, GABRIEL LEMES; BALBUENA, TIAGO SANTANA; et al. sing Proteomic Approaches to Unravel the Response of Ctenocephalides felis felis to Blood Feeding and Infection With Bartonella hensela. FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY, v. 12, JAN 28 2022. (19/09464-6)