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Bartonella Was Detected in 24.9% of Golden Jackals Sampled Across Israel

Golden jackal in Tel Aviv, Israel
Research · Disease, parasites & microbiology

Bartonella are bacteria spread by blood-feeding arthropods that can circulate among wildlife, domestic animals and people. Their DNA was detected in 113 of 454 golden jackals (Canis aureus) sampled across Israel, a prevalence of 24.9%, according to research published on 15 July 2026. The study also included red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and gray wolves (Canis lupus) and examined the diversity and distribution of these vector-borne bacteria in wild canids.

Blood samples were collected from 158 sampling sites between 2018 and 2025. Four of 12 red foxes were positive, while none of the seven wolves tested positive. Positive samples were examined further with additional genetic markers to identify the bacteria present.

Four Bartonella species were identified

The researchers identified four species: “Candidatus Bartonella merieuxii”, Bartonella rochalimae, B. henselae and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii. “Ca. B. merieuxii” was the most frequently detected. Several of the identified bacteria are associated with infections in people or domestic animals.

Among golden jackals, the observed proportion of positive animals was higher in hot-summer Mediterranean and hot semi-arid climate zones, and no positive jackals were found in the sampled hot-desert sites. However, positivity showed no clear association with season, region, climate zone or sex.

The high number of positive golden jackals and the diversity of species detected show that jackals are an important wild host for Bartonella circulation in Israel.

The authors place the findings in a One Health context, which treats human, animal and environmental health as interconnected. Wildlife disease surveillance can help clarify how vector-borne bacteria are maintained across landscapes shared by wild animals, domestic animals and humans.

Sources and image credit

  1. Wild canids as reservoirs of zoonotic Bartonella species in IsraelPrimary open-access research article published 15 July 2026. Blood samples from 473 wild canids collected at 158 sites in Israel during 2018–2025 included 454 golden jackals, 12 red foxes and seven gray wolves. Bartonella DNA was detected in 113 jackals (24.9%) and four foxes (33.3%); no wolves were positive. Four Bartonella species were identified, with ‘Candidatus Bartonella merieuxii’ predominant. Models found no significant association between positivity and season, region, climate zone or sex.

Image: JulianAlper — golden jackal (Canis aureus) photographed in Tel Aviv, Israel, 18 December 2022; Wikimedia Commons. Representative Israeli species image; not one of the jackals sampled in the 2026 Bartonella study. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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Disease, parasites & microbiology

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Golden Jackal Canis aureus Explore species Red Fox Vulpes vulpes Explore species

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