bartonellae

— Although we do not believe that rat-associated lice can transmit pathogens to humans because of their high specificity to the host, for example, Polyplax and Hoplopleura lice are more likely specific to Rattus rats or to some other relative rat species [37, 38 ], the circulation of bartonellae via different ectoparasites, including lice, can influence the diversity of a rat-associated Bartonella community.