Identification of bat trypanosomes from Minas Gerais state, Brazil, based on 18S rDNA and Cathepsin-L-like targets

Trypanosomatid diversity in a bat community of an urban area in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Bats have a long evolutionary history with trypanosomatids, but the role of these flying mammals on parasite transmission cycles in urban areas, especially for Trypanosoma and Leishmania species, remains poorly known. The objective of this study was to evaluate the species richness of trypanosomatids parasitizing a bat community in Campo Grande (CG), a state capital within the Cerrado of the Brazilian Midwest. We evaluated 237 bats of 13 species by means of hemoculture and molecular detection in spleen samples. The bat community of CG appears to participate in the transmission cycles of various species of trypanosomatids. We report an overall trypanosomatid detection rate of 34.2% (n = 81), involving 11 out of 13 sampled bat species. We identified six species of trypanosomatids from 61 bats by analyzing SSU rRNA and/or kDNA: Trypanosoma cruzi DTU TcI, T. c. marinkellei, T. dionisii, Leishmania infantum, L. amazonensis, and T. janseni, with this latter being detected by hemoculture for the first time in a bat species. We also detected a Molecular Operational Taxonomic Unit, Trypanosoma sp. DID, in the phyllostomids Glossophaga soricina and Platyrrhinus lineatus. The highest trypanosomatid richness was observed for Sturnira lilium, which hosted three species: L. infantum, T. dionisii and T. janseni. Given that visceral leishmaniasis is endemic in CG, special focus should be placed on L. infantum. Moreover, L. amazonensis and T. cruzi warrant attention, since these are zoonotic parasites responsible for human cases of tegumentary leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, respectively. In this respect, we discuss how bat communities may influence the Leishmania spp. transmission in endemic areas.

Unraveling the diversity of Trypanosoma species from Central Mexico: Molecular confirmation on the presence of Trypanosoma dionisii and novel Neobat linages

Bats are one of the groups of mammals with the highest number of associated Trypanosoma taxa. There are 50 Trypanosoma species and genotypes infecting more than 75 species of bats across five continents. However, in Mexico, the inventory of species of the genus Trypanosoma associated with bats is limited to only two species (Trypanosoma vespertilionis and Trypanosoma cruzi) even though 140 species of bats inhabit this country. Specifically, 91 bat species have been recorded in the state of Veracruz, but records of trypanosomatids associated with this mammalian group are absent. Due to the complex Trypanosoma-bat relationship, the high diversity of bat species in Veracruz, as well as the lack of records of trypanosomatids associated with bats for this state, the aim of this work was to analyze the diversity of species of the genus Trypanosoma and their presence from a bat community in the central area of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. During the period of January to August 2022 in the Tequecholapa Environmental Management Unit where bats were collected using mist nets and blood samples were obtained from their thumbs. We extracted genetic material and amplified a fragment of 800 bp of the 18S ribosomal gene of the genus Trypanosoma by conventional PCR. The positive amplicons were sequenced, and phylogenetic reconstruction was performed to identify the parasite species. A total of 285 bats (149♀, 136♂) belonging to 13 species from 10 genera and a single family (Phyllostomidae) were collected. Twenty-three specimens from six species tested positive for the presence of Trypanosoma dionisii, Trypanosoma sp. Neobat 4, and a potential novelty species provisionally named as Trypanosoma sp. Neobat 6. The results of the present work increase the number of species of the genus Trypanosoma infecting bats in Mexico and in the Neotropical region.

First Molecular Identification of Trypanosomes and Absence of Babesia sp. DNA in Faeces of Non-Human Primates in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Trypanosomes are a group of pathogens distributed in the continents of Africa, America, Asia and Europe, and they affect all vertebrates including the neotropical primate group. Information about the trypanosome's diversity, phylogeny, ecology and pathology in non-human primates (NHPs) from the neotropical region is scarce. The objective of the study was to identify Trypanosoma and Babesia molecularly in NHPs under the phylogenetic species concept. We extracted DNA from a total of 76 faecal samples collected between 2019 and 2021, from a total of 11 non-human primate species of which 46 are from captive NHPs and 30 are free-living NHPs in the Western Amazon region of Ecuador. We did not detect DNA of Babesia sp. by polymerase chain reaction test in any of the faecal samples. However, the nested-PCR-based method revealed Trypanosoma parasites by ITS gene amplification in two faecal samples; one for the species Leontocebus lagonotus (from the captive population) and a second one for Cebus albifrons (from the free-ranging population). Maximum parsimony and likelihood methods with the Kimura2+G+I model inferred the evolutionary history of the two records, which showed an evolutionary relationship with the genus Trypanosoma. Two sequences are monophyletic with Trypanosoma. However, the number of sequences available in GenBank for their species identification is limited. The two samples present different molecular identifications and evolutionary origins in the tree topology. We are most likely referring to two different species, and two different localities of infection. We suggest that health management protocols should be implemented to prevent the transmission of blood-borne pathogens such as Trypanosoma sp. among captive populations. In addition, these protocols also protect the personnel of wildlife rehabilitation centers working in close proximity to NHPs and vice versa.

"Visiting old, learn new": taxonomical overview of chiropteran trypanosomes from the morphology to the genes

Bats (the order Chiroptera) account for more than 20% of all mammalian species in the world; remarkably, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight using their wing-like forelimbs. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, various morphotypes (or genotypes in the last decade) of haemoflagellates in the genus Trypanosoma (Euglenozoa: Kinetoplastea: Trypanosomatidae) have been reported worldwide in the blood of bats. Of note, the latent nature of chiropteran trypanosome infection with low levels of parasitaemia, together with the apparent morphological variation of the bloodstream forms related to phenotypical plasticity and the morphological resemblance of different parasite species, has hampered the taxonomic classification of bat trypanosomes based on morphological criteria. This said, 50 years ago, Hoare (1972) provisionally divided bat trypanosomes into two major morphotypes: the megadermae group (corresponding to the subgenus Megatrypanum in the traditional taxonomic system; 8 species) and the vespertilionis group (similar to the subgenus Schizotrypanum; 5 species). Importantly, the biological and biochemical analyses of bat trypanosomes isolated by haemoculture, together with the molecular genetic characterisation using various gene markers, allowed the establishment of clear phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships of various isolates from different continents in the last two decades. Here, we review the historical taxonomic approaches used to define chiropteran trypanosomes, as well as the ones currently employed to shed light on the diversity and evolutional tracks of the globally distributed chiropteran trypanosomes.

Intra- and Inter-Host Assessment of Bartonella Diversity with Focus on Non-Hematophagous Bats and Associated Ectoparasites from Brazil

The relationship among bats, ectoparasites and associated microorganisms is important to investigate how humans can become exposed to zoonotic agents. Even though the diversity of Bartonella spp. in bats and ectoparasites has been previously reported, the occurrence of gltA genotypes within hosts has not been assessed so far. We aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of Bartonella spp. in non-hematophagous bats and associated ectoparasites by assessing cloned gltA Bartonella genotypes in intra- and inter-hosts levels, as well as by using three additional molecular markers. Overall, 13.5% (18/133) bat blood samples, 17.18% bat flies (11/64) and 23.8% (5/21) Macronyssidae mite pools showed to be positive for Bartonella spp. Seventeen positive samples were submitted to gltA-cloning and three clones were sequenced for each sample. We also obtained 11, seven and three sequences for nuoG, rpoB and ftsZ genes, respectively. None were positive for the other target genes. We found at least two genotypes among the three gltA-cloned sequences from each sample, and 13 between all the 51 sequences. Among the nuoG, rpoB and ftsZ sequences we found eight, five and three genotypes, respectively. In the phylogenetic analysis, the sequences were positioned mainly in groups related to Bartonella identified in rodents, bats and bat flies. Herein, we showed the genetic diversity of Bartonella in bat's blood and associated ectoparasites samples at both intra- and inter-host levels.

Biological and Genetic Heterogeneity in Trypanosoma dionisii Isolates from Hematophagous and Insectivorous Bats

This study describes the morphological, biochemical, and molecular differences among Trypanosoma dionisii isolates from hemocultures of hematophagous (Desmodus rotundus; n = 2) and insectivorous (Lonchorhina aurita; n = 1) bats from the Atlantic Rainforest of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fusiform epimastigotes from the hematophagous isolates were elongated, whereas those of the insectivorous isolate were stumpy, reflected in statistically evident differences in the cell body and flagellum lengths. In the hemocultures, a higher percentage of trypomastigote forms (60%) was observed in the hematophagous bat isolates than that in the isolate from the insectivorous bat (4%), which demonstrated globular morphology. Three molecular DNA regions were analyzed: V7V8 (18S rDNA), glycosomal glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene, and mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The samples were also subjected to multilocus enzyme electrophoresis and random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. All isolates were identified as T. dionisii by phylogenetic analysis. These sequences were clustered into two separate subgroups with high bootstrap values according to the feeding habits of the bats from which the parasites were isolated. However, other T. dionisii samples from bats with different feeding habits were found in the same branch. These results support the separation of the three isolates into two subgroups, demonstrating that different subpopulations of T. dionisii circulate among bats.

Trypanosoma rangeli 28Sβ Ribosomal Gene Allows Intra and Interspecific Molecular Differentiation

Trypanosoma rangeli is an avirulent flagellate protozoan that could mislead correct diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, the causative agent of Chagas' disease, given their high similarity. Besides, T. rangeli presents two genetic groups, whose differentiation is achieved mainly by molecular approaches. In this context, ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is a useful target for intra and interspecific molecular differentiation. Analyzing the rDNA of T. rangeli and comparison with other trypanosomatid species, two highly divergent regions (Trβ1 and Trβ2) within the 28Sβ gene were found. Those regions were amplified and sequenced in KP1(+) and KP1(-) strains of T. rangeli, revealing group-specific polymorphisms useful for intraspecific distinction through restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Also, amplification of Trβ1 allowed differentiation between T. rangeli and T. cruzi. Trβ2 predicted restriction length profile, allowed differentiation between T. rangeli, T. cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei, and Leishmania braziliensis, increasing the use of Trβ1 and Trβ2 beyond a molecular approach for T. rangeli genotyping, but also as a useful target for trypanosomatid classification.

Trypanosoma madeirae sp. n.: A species of the clade T. cruzi associated with the neotropical common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus

Molecular phylogenetic studies have revealed the growing diversity of bat trypanosomes. Here, 14 isolates from blood samples of the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus (Phyllostomidae) from Rio de Janeiro, Southeast Brazil, were cultivated, and morphologically and molecularly characterized. All isolates represent a novel species named Trypanosoma madeirae n. sp. positioned in the Neobat lineage of the clade T. cruzi. The Neobat lineage also comprises closely related trypanosomes of clades Neotropic 1, 2 and 3 from diverse phyllostomid species. Trypanosomes of Neotropic 1, found in Trachops cirrhosus and Artibeus jamaicensis (phyllostomids), likely represent a different species or genotype closely related to T. madeirae. Consistent with its phylogenetic positioning, T. madeirae differs from Trypanosoma cruzi in morphology of both epimastigote and trypomastigote culture forms and does not infect Triatoma infestans. Similar to its closest relatives of Neobat lineage, T. madeirae was unable to develop within mammalian cells. To date, PCR-surveys on archived blood/liver samples unveiled T. madeirae exclusively in D. rotundus from Southern to Northern Brazil. The description of a new species of bat trypanosome associated with vampire bats increases the repertoire of trypanosomes infecting D. rotundus, currently comprised of Trypanosoma cruzi, T. cruzi marinkellei, Trypanosoma dionisii, Trypanosoma rangeli, Trypanosoma pessoai, and Trypanosoma madeirae.

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Trypanosoma madeirae n. sp. was so far only detected in the vampire bat Desmodus rotundus.

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T. madeirae clustered with other Neotropical trypanosomes in the Neobat lineage of the clade T. cruzi.

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Several species of trypanosomes are hosted by Desmodus rotundus.