Rickettsia typhi in rodents from a community with history of murine typhus from Yucatan, Mexico

Objective. To determine the presence of Rickettsia typhi in synanthropic rodents captured in the rural community of Bolmay, Yucatan, Mexico, an area with history of murine typhus cases. Materials and methods. Thirty Mus musculus, 6 Rattus rattus and 1 Heteromys gaumeri were examined. Total DNA was obtained of rodent's spleen. The identification of Rickettsia typhi was performed through the fragment's amplification of the htrA (17-kDa gene protein) by endpoint PCR. The positive products were purified and sent for sequencing and analysis with the BLAST tool. Results. Rickettsial DNA was identified in 27% (10/37) of the rodents: seven M. musculus and 3 R. rattus. The alignment analyses obtained identity and coverage percentages of 97 - 99% for R. typhi. Conclusions. The present study suggests the participation of synanthropic rodents in the murine typhus cycle in the region. We described the first molecular evidence of R. typhi in M. musculus of Yucatan, Mexico.