ABSTRACT
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.09.003.].
ABSTRACT
Bats are infected with several trypanosomatid species; however, assessing the diversity of this interaction remains challenging since there are species apparently unable to grow in conventional culture media. Accordingly, the ecology and biology of the Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Trypanosoma spp. Neobats are unknown. Therefore, we performed the molecular characterization targeting the 18S small subunit rDNA from the blood clot of 280 bats of three Brazilian regions (Paraíba, Rio de Janeiro and Acre states), bypassing the selective pressure of hemoculture. From 68 (24%) positive blood clot samples, we obtained 49 satisfactory sequences. Of these successfully sequenced results, T. spp. Neobats (1, 3 and 4) represented 67%, with the most abundant T. sp. Neobat 4 (53%). Our results show: (1) high abundance and wide geographic range of T. sp. Neobat 4, restricted to Carollia bats; (2) high infection rate of T. sp. Neobat 4 in Carollia perspicillata populations (mean 26%); (3) infection with the monoxenous Crithidia mellificae; and (4) a new MOTU (T. sp. Neobat 5) in Artibeus cinereus, positioning in the Trypanosoma wauwau clade. These data corroborate the importance of bats as hosts of many Trypanosoma species and C. mellificae. They also show that the diversity of the T. wauwau clade is underestimated and warn about the high magnitude of trypanosomes we overpass with the hemoculture. Our findings combined with previous data show that T. spp. Neobats include host-specific and host-generalist species, probably playing different ecological roles: T. sp. Neobat 1 shows broad host range; T. spp. Neobat 3 and 4 are restricted to Artibeus and Carollia, respectively. Finally, T. Neobat 4 seems to be a well-succeeded parasite, especially within C. perspicillata metapopulations across a wide geographical distribution. This work is a step forward to understand the biology and life history of T. spp. Neobats.
ABSTRACT
The nematode genus Bidigiticauda has 2 species (Bidigiticauda vivipara and Bidigiticauda embryophilum), which are parasites of bats from the Neotropical region. The present paper describes a new species of Bidigiticauda from a male Artibeus planirostris specimen collected in the Pratigi Environmental Protection Area in Bahia state, Brazil. The new species, Bidigiticauda serrafreirei n. sp., differs from B. embryophilum by having longer spicules, rays 5 and 6 arising from a common trunk and bifurcating in its first third, rays 3 and 4 emerging slightly separated from each other, and dorsal rays reaching the margin of the caudal bursa. The new species also differs from B. vivipara by the dorsal ray bifurcating at the extremity of the trunk. A molecular phylogenetic analysis was conducted to determine the evolutionary affinities of Bidigiticauda serrafreirei n. sp. within the Strongylida, which identified a clade that grouped Bidigiticauda with the other members of the Anoplostrongylinae. However, the molineid subfamilies did not group together, indicating that the family Molineidae is polyphyletic. Further analyses, which include additional taxa and genetic markers, should elucidate the complex relationships within the Molineidae, in particular its subfamilies and the evolution of the traits that define these groups.
Subject(s)
Chiroptera/parasitology , Phylogeny , Trichostrongyloidea/classification , Trichostrongyloidiasis/veterinary , Animals , Bayes Theorem , Brazil , DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic/veterinary , DNA, Helminth/chemistry , DNA, Helminth/isolation & purification , Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics , Female , Forests , Male , Mitochondria/enzymology , RNA, Ribosomal, 28S/genetics , Trichostrongyloidea/anatomy & histology , Trichostrongyloidea/genetics , Trichostrongyloidea/isolation & purification , Trichostrongyloidiasis/parasitologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The role of bats as reservoirs of zoonotic agents, especially pathogenic bacteria such as Bartonella and Coxiella, has been discussed around the world. Recent studies have identified bats as potential hosts of species from the proteobacteria phylum. In Brazil, however, the role of bats in the natural cycle of these agents is poorly investigated and generally neglected. In order to analyze the participation of bats in the epidemiology of diseases caused by Bartonella, Coxiella, Rickettsia, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia, we conducted a descriptive epidemiological study in three biogeographic regions of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. RESULTS: Tissues of 119 bats captured in preserved areas in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and Santa Catarina from 2014 to 2015 were submitted to molecular analysis using specific primers. Bartonella spp. was detected in 22 spleen samples (18.5%, 95% CI: 11.9-26.6), whose phylogenetic analysis revealed the generation of at least two independent clusters, suggesting that these may be new unique genotypes of Bartonella species. In addition, four samples (3.4%, 95% CI: 0.9-8.3) were positive for the htpAB gene of C. burnetii [spleen (2), liver (1) and heart (1)]. Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma and Ehrlichia were not identified. This is the first study reporting C. burnetii and Bartonella spp. infections in bats from the Atlantic Forest biome. CONCLUSIONS: These findings shed light on potential host range for these bacteria, which are characterized as important zoonotic pathogens.
