Vet World Vol.18 February-2025 Article - 20
Research Article
Veterinary World, 18(2): 455-460
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.455-460
Detection and phylogenetic analysis of Streptobacillus moniliformis, the causative agent of rat-bite fever and Haverhill fever, in free-living greater bandicoot rats in Northeastern India
2. College of Agriculture, CAU (Imphal), Kyrdemkulai, Meghalaya, India.
3. ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
4. ICAR-Directorate of Floricultural Research, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Background and Aim: Streptobacillus moniliformis is the causative agent of zoonotic diseases such as rat-bite fever (RBF) and Haverhill fever (HF). While human infections are well-documented, limited studies have explored its presence in rodents in India. This study aimed to detect S. moniliformis in free-living bandicoots (Bandicota bengalensis and Bandicota indica) in Northeastern India and perform a phylogenetic analysis to assess its genetic relationship with global isolates.
Materials and Methods: A total of 106 bandicoots (B. bengalensis, n = 76; B. indica, n = 30) were captured from various environments in Meghalaya, India. Fecal and tissue samples were collected and subjected to DNA extraction. Molecular detection of S. moniliformis was conducted using species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Positive amplicons were sequenced, analyzed using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool, and subjected to phylogenetic analysis.
Results: PCR-based detection revealed a fecal prevalence of 3.3% (1/30) in B. indica and 0% in B. bengalensis. No tissue samples tested positive for S. moniliformis. The detected isolate exhibited 100% sequence identity with previously reported S. moniliformis strains and 99.63% similarity to Streptobacillus notomytis. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the recovered isolate with human and rodent-derived S. moniliformis strains from multiple global regions, suggesting potential zoonotic transmission.
Conclusion: This study presents the first molecular detection of S. moniliformis in bandicoots from India, highlighting its zoonotic potential. Given its transmission risks through rodent bites and excreta contamination, public health surveillance is essential. Clinicians should consider RBF and HF in patients presenting with prolonged fever, particularly in rodent-endemic areas.
Keywords: bandicoots, Haverhill fever, India, rat-bite fever, Streptobacillus moniliformis.
How to cite this article: Milton AAP, Momin AG, Srinivas K, Priya GB, Gandhale PN, Firake DM, Das S, Ghatak S, and Sen A (2025) Detection and phylogenetic analysis of Streptobacillus moniliformis, the causative agent of rat-bite fever and Haverhill fever, in free-living greater bandicoot rats in Northeastern India, Veterinary World, 18(2): 455–460.
Received: 2024-08-21 Accepted: 2025-01-22 Published online: 2025-02-19
Corresponding author: E-mail:
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.455-460
Copyright: Milton, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
