Investigation of the Role of the European Brown Hare in the Epidemiology of Bacterial Zoonotic Pathogens: A Serological and Molecular Survey in Greece.

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Bartonella spp, Brucella spp, Coxiella burnetii, and Francisella tularensis in European Brown hares (Lepus europaeus) hunter harvested during 2-year hunting periods in northern and central Greece. Serum samples were examined for the presence of IgG antibodies by using an immune fluorescence test and/or an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. PCR was used to detect Bartonella spp DNA in blood samples and Brucella spp, C. burnetii, and F. tularensis DNA in liver samples. Antibodies against Bartonella spp were detected in 12 hares (12/105); whereas none of the hares examined was seropositive for Brucella spp, C. burnetii, and F. tularensis. The presence of Bartonella spp, Brucella spp, C. burnetii, and F. tularensis DNA was not detected in the samples examined. This study did not provide any evidence that the European Brown hare is involved in the epidemiology of Brucella spp, C. burnetii, and F. tularensis in Greece. However, our results suggest that this species is exposed to Bartonella spp, which gives the impetus for further investigation of its role as another host of this bacterium.