Haemoplasma Prevalence and Diversity in Three Invasive

Liezl Retief, Christian T Chimimba, Marinda C Oosthuizen, Asiashu Matshotshi, Armanda D S Bastos

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Microorganisms, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Blood parasites and bacteria of Muroidea rodents of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife · 2026
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Liezl RetiefDepartment of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute (MRI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.

Christian T ChimimbaDSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB), Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-8366-9994

Marinda C OosthuizenDepartment of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.

Asiashu MatshotshiDSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB), Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.

Armanda D S BastosDepartment of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute (MRI), University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-9223-4204

Funding

Zoonotic tick-borne pathogens contribute to acute febrile illness in rural South AfricaR01AI136832 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA · PI OOSTHUIZEN, MARINDA CATHARINA · 2019 to 2023

$704k

National Research Foundation 136156National Research Foundation 78566NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI136832

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Invasive Rattus species are carriers of haemotropic Mycoplasmas (haemoplasmas) globally, but data from Africa are lacking. Using a PCR-sequencing approach, we assessed haemoplasma prevalence and diversity in kidney and buccal swabs collected from three invasive Rattus species (Rattus rattus, R. norvegicus and R. tanezumi) in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Whilst the overall sequence-confirmed haemoplasma prevalence was 38.4%, infection rates in R. rattus (58.3%) were significantly higher (χ2 = 12.96; df = 2; n = 99 p < 0.05) than for R. tanezumi (14.3%). Differences between host sex (χ2 = 3.59 × 10−31; df = 1; n = 99; p = 1.00) and age (χ2 = 4.28; df = 2; n = 99; p = 0.12) were not significant. Whilst buccal (1.01%) and ectoparasite positivity (2.13%) were low, these results suggest that multiple transmission routes are possible. Three phylogenetically distinct lineages, consistent with global rat-associated strains described to date, were detected, namely, ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemomuris subsp. Ratti’, and two Rattus-specific haemoplasmas that are yet to be formally described. These results expand the known distribution of invasive rat-associated haemoplasmas and highlight the potential for pathogen co-invasion of new territories together with invading rodent hosts.

Indexed as

16S rRNAdnaKgapAhaemoplasmasMycoplasmaphylogenyRattus norvegicusRattus rattusRattus tanezumiRnase P

Identifiers

PMID36014050

DOI10.3390/microorganisms10081632

PMCPMC9413481

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.