This is the first study to investigate the presence of Bartonella infections in different internal organs of red squirrels and their ectoparasites in Lithuania. A total of 39 roadkill red squirrels were collected. Squirrels were infested with Ixodes ricinus ticks (191) and Ceratophyllus sciurorum fleas (36). The presence of Bartonella spp. was screened using 16 S-23 S rRNA internal transcribed spacer region and bacteria were detected in 38.5 % (15/39) samples of squirrels, 1.0 % (2/191) samples of ticks and 55.5 % (20/36) samples of fleas. The infection rate of different internal organs of squirrels varied from 11.1%-47.4%. The 16 S-23 S rRNA ITS region sequences showed that Bartonella washoensis were detected in squirrels and their ectoparasites. The results from this study support the hypothesis that S. vulgaris and their fleas, C.sciurorum, serve as a major reservoir and a vector, respectively, of zoonotic B. washoensis in Lithuania.

中文翻译：

---

立陶宛的红松鼠（Sciurus vulgaris）及其外寄生虫感染了沃氏巴尔通体。

这是首次研究立陶宛红松鼠及其内寄生虫的不同内脏器官中巴尔通体感染的存在。总共收集了39只Roadkill红松鼠。松鼠感染了蓖麻短虱（Ixodes ricinus ticks）（191）和鼠尾草（Ceratophyllus sciurorum）跳蚤（36）。巴尔通体属的存在。用16个S-23 S rRNA内部转录间隔区筛选，并在38.5％（15/39）的松鼠样品，1.0％（2/191）的壁虱样品和55.5％（20/36）的蚤样品中检测到细菌。松鼠内脏不同部位的感染率在11.1％-47.4％之间。16 S-23 S rRNA ITS区域序列表明，在松鼠及其外寄生物中检测到了华氏巴尔通体。这项研究的结果支持以下假设：寻常链球菌及其跳蚤C.sciurorum，