Documenting the microbiome diversity and distribution in selected fleas from South Africa with an emphasis on the cat flea,.

Abstract

The factors that influence parasite associated bacterial microbial diversity and the geographic distributions of bacteria are not fully understood. In an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between the bacterial diversity offleas and host species and the external environment, we conducted a metagenetic analysis of 107 flea samples collected from 8 distinct sampling sites in South Africa. Pooled DNA samples mostly comprising of 2 or 3 individuals sampled from the same host, and belonging to the same genetic cluster, were sequenced using the Ion PGM™ Hi-Q™ Kit and the Ion 316™ Chip v2. Differences were detected in the microbiome compositions between,andAlthough based on a small sample,occurring on wildlife harboured a higher bacterial richness when compared toon domestic animals. Intraspecific differences in the microbial OTU diversity were detected withinthat occurred on domestic cats and dogs. Different genetic lineages ofwere similar in microbial compositions but some differences exist in the presence or absence of rare bacteria.andOTU's identified in South African cat fleas differ from those identified in the USA and Australia. Intraspecific microbial compositions also differ across geographic sampling sites. Generalized dissimilarity modelling showed that temperature and humidity are potentially important environmental factors explaining the pattern obtained.