Plague,a lethal zoonotic disease,primarily circulates within rodent populations and their fleas.In Iran,the widely distributed jird,Meriones persicus,serves as the principal reservoir for plague,with a belief in the e...Plague,a lethal zoonotic disease,primarily circulates within rodent populations and their fleas.In Iran,the widely distributed jird,Meriones persicus,serves as the principal reservoir for plague,with a belief in the existence of five out of its six recognized subspecies within the country.However,these subspecies are classified into four mitochondrial cytochrome b sub-lineages(IA,IB,IIA,IIB).This discrepancy,combined with the presence of an unnamed sub-lineage in central Iran awaiting taxonomic clarification,has left intraspecific taxonomy unsettled and obscured the true alignment between mtDNA sub-lineages and nominal subspecies.In this study,we investigated the intraspecific variation in the cytb gene across populations sampled throughout Iran,focusing on underexplored regions between the Zagros and Alborz Mountains and central Iran.While our genetic data generally support reported subspecies validity in Iran,we raise questions about M.p.baptistae,emphasizing the need for further data from its type territory in Pakistan.Two main lineages of M.persicus(I and II)exhibit geographical isolation,with limited overlap in the central Zagros Mts.,where three subspecies(M.p.ambrosius,M.p.rossicus,and M.p.persicus)coexist.Superimposing infected rodents’geographic coordinates onto updated sub-lineages’distribution revealed a potential association between sub-lineage IA(M.p.rossicus)and all enzootic plague cases from 1946 to 2023.M.persicus rossicus extends into the Caucasus(where plague infections are common),Eastern Turkey,and Iraq.Consequently,interpreting this finding in the context of plague surveillance in Iran and neighboring areas requires caution.展开更多
Plague has been known since ancient times as a re-emerging infectious disease,causing considerable socioeconomic burden in regional hotspots.To better understand the epidemiological cycle of the causative agent of the...Plague has been known since ancient times as a re-emerging infectious disease,causing considerable socioeconomic burden in regional hotspots.To better understand the epidemiological cycle of the causative agent of the plague,its potential occurrence,and possible future dispersion,one must carefully consider the taxonomy,distribution,and ecological requirements of reservoir-species in relation either to natural or human-driven changes(e.g.climate change or urbanization).In recent years,the depth of knowledge on species taxonomy and species composition in different landscapes has undergone a dramatic expansion,driven by modern taxonomic methods such as synthetic surveys that take into consideration morphology,genetics,and the ecological setting of captured animals to establish their species identities.Here,we consider the recent taxonomic changes of the rodent species in known plague reservoirs and detail their distribution across the world,with a particular focus on those rodents considered to be keystone host species.A complete checklist of all known plague-infectable vertebrates living in plague foci is provided as a Supporting Information table.展开更多
文摘Plague,a lethal zoonotic disease,primarily circulates within rodent populations and their fleas.In Iran,the widely distributed jird,Meriones persicus,serves as the principal reservoir for plague,with a belief in the existence of five out of its six recognized subspecies within the country.However,these subspecies are classified into four mitochondrial cytochrome b sub-lineages(IA,IB,IIA,IIB).This discrepancy,combined with the presence of an unnamed sub-lineage in central Iran awaiting taxonomic clarification,has left intraspecific taxonomy unsettled and obscured the true alignment between mtDNA sub-lineages and nominal subspecies.In this study,we investigated the intraspecific variation in the cytb gene across populations sampled throughout Iran,focusing on underexplored regions between the Zagros and Alborz Mountains and central Iran.While our genetic data generally support reported subspecies validity in Iran,we raise questions about M.p.baptistae,emphasizing the need for further data from its type territory in Pakistan.Two main lineages of M.persicus(I and II)exhibit geographical isolation,with limited overlap in the central Zagros Mts.,where three subspecies(M.p.ambrosius,M.p.rossicus,and M.p.persicus)coexist.Superimposing infected rodents’geographic coordinates onto updated sub-lineages’distribution revealed a potential association between sub-lineage IA(M.p.rossicus)and all enzootic plague cases from 1946 to 2023.M.persicus rossicus extends into the Caucasus(where plague infections are common),Eastern Turkey,and Iraq.Consequently,interpreting this finding in the context of plague surveillance in Iran and neighboring areas requires caution.
基金The study received funding support from the Pasteur Institute of Iran and Center for Disease Control of the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education(grant no.810)the Slovenian Research Agency(research core funding no.P1-0255 to B.K.).
文摘Plague has been known since ancient times as a re-emerging infectious disease,causing considerable socioeconomic burden in regional hotspots.To better understand the epidemiological cycle of the causative agent of the plague,its potential occurrence,and possible future dispersion,one must carefully consider the taxonomy,distribution,and ecological requirements of reservoir-species in relation either to natural or human-driven changes(e.g.climate change or urbanization).In recent years,the depth of knowledge on species taxonomy and species composition in different landscapes has undergone a dramatic expansion,driven by modern taxonomic methods such as synthetic surveys that take into consideration morphology,genetics,and the ecological setting of captured animals to establish their species identities.Here,we consider the recent taxonomic changes of the rodent species in known plague reservoirs and detail their distribution across the world,with a particular focus on those rodents considered to be keystone host species.A complete checklist of all known plague-infectable vertebrates living in plague foci is provided as a Supporting Information table.
