Novel Rickettsia spp. in two common overwintering North American songbirds

American robins and dark-eyed juncos migrate across North America and have been found to be competent hosts for some bacterial and viral pathogens, but their contributions to arthropod-borne diseases more broadly remain poorly characterized. Here, we sampled robins and juncos in multiple sites across North America for arthropod-borne bacterial pathogens of public health significance. We identified two novel Rickettsia spp. in one wintering migrant per bird species related to bellii, transitional, and spotted rickettsiae fever groups. Stable isotope analyses of feathers suggested spring migration of these common songbirds could disperse these novel rickettsiae hundreds-to-thousands of kilometers to host breeding grounds. Further work is needed to characterize zoonotic potential of these rickettsiae and host reservoir competence.

美国知更鸟和暗眼雀鹀在北美大陆进行迁徙，并已被证实为某些细菌和病毒病原体的合格宿主，但它们对节肢动物传播疾病的总体贡献尚缺乏充分描述。在本研究中，我们对北美多个地点的知更鸟和雀鹀进行了采样，以检测公共卫生意义重大的节肢动物传播细菌病原体。我们在一部分冬季迁徙的鸟类中鉴定出两种新型的里氏菌属（Rickettsia spp.），与bellii、过渡型和斑点型里氏菌引起的斑点热病有关。通过对羽毛的稳定同位素分析表明，这些常见的鸣禽的春季迁徙可能将这些新型里氏菌传播数百至数千公里至宿主的繁殖地。为进一步探究这些里氏菌的动物源性和宿主储备能力，仍需进行深入研究。