Bacterial composition of Polygenis (Polygenis) bohlsi bohlsi (Wagner, 1901) (Siphonaptera: Rhopalopsyllidae) associated with Thrichomys fosteri (Rodentia: Echimyidae) in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland
Abstract
Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) are important vectors of zoonotic bacterial pathogens. However, the bacterial communities hosted by fleas remain poorly understood, especially regarding the interactions between nonpathogenic bacteria and pathogens, as well as the factors shaping these bacterial communities. This study aimed to explore the bacterial composition and diversity between female and male Polygenis ( Polygenis ) bohlsi bohlsi fleas collected from free‐living Thrichomys fosteri (Rodentia: Echimyidae) in the Nhecolândia region of central‐western Brazil. Here, bacterial profiling of fleas was performed using a Next‐Generation Sequencing approach targeting the V3–V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene to assess community structure. Bacterial diversity in P. (P.) bohlsi bohlsi fleas varied by sex, as indicated by significant differences in alpha diversity, while beta diversity showed a trend toward separation between sexes. Pseudomonadota was the predominant phylum in the flea microbiome. Ten bacterial genera showed differentially abundance between male and female fleas, including Bartonella spp., which was detected exclusively in males, and Wolbachia spp., which was more abundant in females than in males. Phylogenetic analysis positioned Bartonella gltA sequences detected in two fleas within the same clade as Bartonella harrusi . While the Wolbachia wsp and 16S rRNA sequences detected in P. (P.) bohlsi bohlsi grouped within the supergroups S (associated with pseudoscorpions), gatB sequences grouped with V (cat flea‐related). These findings suggest sex‐associated differences in the microbiome of P. (P.) bohlsi bohlsi fleas and highlight the need for further investigation into the potential role of Wolbachia spp. in shaping flea‐associated microbial communities and their interactions with Bartonella spp.
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BibTeX
@article{funnicelli2026bacterial,
title = {{Bacterial composition of Polygenis (Polygenis) bohlsi bohlsi (Wagner, 1901) (Siphonaptera: Rhopalopsyllidae) associated with Thrichomys fosteri (Rodentia: Echimyidae) in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland}},
author = {Michelli Inácio Gonçalves Funnicelli and Renan Bressianini Do Amaral and Victória Valente Califre de Mello and Ricardo Bassini-Silva and Lizeth Fernanda Banguero Micolta and Marie Buysse and William Oliveira de Assis and Alanderson Rodrigues da Silva and Heitor Miraglia Herrera and Rosangela Zacarias Machado and Darci Moraes Barros-Battesti and Daniel Guariz Pinheiro and Olivier Duron and Marcos Rogério André},
journal = {Medical and Veterinary Entomology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1111/mve.70111},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05763801v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bacterial composition of Polygenis (Polygenis) bohlsi bohlsi (Wagner, 1901) (Siphonaptera: Rhopalopsyllidae) associated with Thrichomys fosteri (Rodentia: Echimyidae) in the Brazilian Pantanal wetland
AU - Michelli Inácio Gonçalves Funnicelli
AU - Renan Bressianini Do Amaral
AU - Victória Valente Califre de Mello
AU - Ricardo Bassini-Silva
AU - Lizeth Fernanda Banguero Micolta
AU - Marie Buysse
AU - William Oliveira de Assis
AU - Alanderson Rodrigues da Silva
AU - Heitor Miraglia Herrera
AU - Rosangela Zacarias Machado
AU - Darci Moraes Barros-Battesti
AU - Daniel Guariz Pinheiro
AU - Olivier Duron
AU - Marcos Rogério André
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Medical and Veterinary Entomology
DO - 10.1111/mve.70111
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05763801v1
AB - Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) are important vectors of zoonotic bacterial pathogens. However, the bacterial communities hosted by fleas remain poorly understood, especially regarding the interactions between nonpathogenic bacteria and pathogens, as well as the factors shaping these bacterial communities. This study aimed to explore the bacterial composition and diversity between female and male Polygenis ( Polygenis ) bohlsi bohlsi fleas collected from free‐living Thrichomys fosteri (Rodentia: Echimyidae) in the Nhecolândia region of central‐western Brazil. Here, bacterial profiling of fleas was performed using a Next‐Generation Sequencing approach targeting the V3–V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene to assess community structure. Bacterial diversity in P. (P.) bohlsi bohlsi fleas varied by sex, as indicated by significant differences in alpha diversity, while beta diversity showed a trend toward separation between sexes. Pseudomonadota was the predominant phylum in the flea microbiome. Ten bacterial genera showed differentially abundance between male and female fleas, including Bartonella spp., which was detected exclusively in males, and Wolbachia spp., which was more abundant in females than in males. Phylogenetic analysis positioned Bartonella gltA sequences detected in two fleas within the same clade as Bartonella harrusi . While the Wolbachia wsp and 16S rRNA sequences detected in P. (P.) bohlsi bohlsi grouped within the supergroups S (associated with pseudoscorpions), gatB sequences grouped with V (cat flea‐related). These findings suggest sex‐associated differences in the microbiome of P. (P.) bohlsi bohlsi fleas and highlight the need for further investigation into the potential role of Wolbachia spp. in shaping flea‐associated microbial communities and their interactions with Bartonella spp.
SN - 0269-283X
SN - 1365-2915
ER -