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Detection of a Caf1 Gene Homolog Associated With Yersinia Pestis in Rodent Spleen Samples in Lorestan Province, Iran Publisher



Kayedi MH1 ; Esmaeili S2, 3 ; Cohan HA2, 3 ; Mahmoudi A4 ; Ghasemi A5 ; Baseri N6 ; Chegeni AH7 ; Rohani M8 ; Mohammadi A9 ; Derbise A10 ; Shahraki AH11 ; Mostafavi E2, 3
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Nutritional Health Research Center and Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
  2. 2. National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Hamadan, Iran
  3. 3. WHO Collaborating Centre for Vector-Borne Diseases, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
  5. 5. Department of Microbiology, Research Center of Reference Health Laboratories, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
  6. 6. Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
  7. 7. Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Lorestan University, Lorestan, Khorramabad, Iran
  8. 8. Department of Microbiology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
  9. 9. Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health and National Institute of Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  10. 10. Unite de recherche Yersinia, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
  11. 11. College of Medicine-Jacksonville, University of Florida, Florida, United States

Source: Gene Reports Published:2025


Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the presence of genes associated with Yersinia pestis, in rodents from plague reservoir environment in Lorestan Province, Iran. In 2016 and 2017, rodents were trapped, and ectoparasites from their body surfaces were collected. DNA was extracted from the spleens of the rodents, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) targeted the pla (pPCP1), caf1 (pMT1), and yihN genes, while conventional PCR was amplified the yihN, ymt, inv, and fur genes. IgG antibodies against the F1 capsular antigen of Y. pestis were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and specimens from the second year were cultured to isolate Y. pestis. The most frequently captured rodent was Meriones persicus (49.59 %), followed by Mus. macedonicus (17.88 %). Of the 234 ectoparasites found, 174 were fleas (170 from Xenopsylla and 4 from Paradoxopsyllus and 60 were ticks from the Hyalomma genus. Four rodent spleen samples (one M. persicus, one Mus. macedonicus, and two Microtus spp.) tested positive for the caf1 gene homolog, but other genes associated with Y. pestis (pla, yihN, ymt, inv, and fur), IgG antibodies against the F1 antigen of Y. pestis, and culture tests were negative. The presence of the caf1 gene, along with the absence of other Y. pestis genes and negative serology results, suggests identification of caf1 gene homolog, associated with Y. pestis in an unknown organism. Resource constraints limit our ability to conduct further tests for precise identification. Further studies should focus on additional tests to comprehensively identify the organism linked to the positive caf1 result. © 2025 The Authors
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