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Evidence of Yersinia pestis DNA from fleas in an endemic plague area of Zambia

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dc.creator Hang’ombe, Bernard M.
dc.creator Nakamura, Ichiro
dc.creator Samui, Kenny L.
dc.creator Kaile, Davy
dc.creator Mweene, Aaron S.
dc.creator Kilonzo, Bukheti S.
dc.creator Sawa, Hirofumi
dc.creator Sugimoto, Chihiro
dc.creator Wren, Brendan W.
dc.date 2016-12-20T15:08:14Z
dc.date 2016-12-20T15:08:14Z
dc.date 2012
dc.date.accessioned 2022-10-25T08:50:32Z
dc.date.available 2022-10-25T08:50:32Z
dc.identifier https://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/123456789/1131
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/90326
dc.description BMC Research Notes 2012, 5:72
dc.description 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.
dc.format application/pdf
dc.language en
dc.publisher BMC Research Notes
dc.subject Yersinia pestis DNA
dc.subject Xenopsylla species
dc.subject Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
dc.subject Endemic plague
dc.subject Zambia
dc.title Evidence of Yersinia pestis DNA from fleas in an endemic plague area of Zambia
dc.type Article


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