DNA barcoding and new records of Ornithodoros yumatensis from Central Mexico

First report of Trypanosoma microti in Cricetid rodents from Querétaro, Mexico: Expanding the known distribution of Herpetosoma in the Mexican transition zone

Members of the subgenus Herpetosoma are specialized parasites of mammals of the order Lagomorpha and Rodentia. It is estimated that around 50 species within this subgenus are transmitted by several flea species. These parasites have recently gained attention from a public health perspective because several species have been reported to infect humans. Several species of the Herpetosoma subgenus have been recognized on the American continent, although there have been no reports from the Mexican Transition Zone. Therefore, the present study aimed to report the presence of a member of the Herpetosoma subgenus in cricetid rodents from Querétaro, Mexico. A total of 17 rodents belonging to three species, Peromyscus boylii, Peromyscus gratus, and Peromyscus melanophrys, were collected. Genetic material was extracted using the Chelex 100 resin, followed by PCR and sequencing of a fragment of 800 bp of the 18S ribosomal gene of the genus Trypanosoma. Out of these hosts, eight individuals of P. gratus (1♀), P. melanophrys (1♂), and P. boylii (3♂, 3♀) tested positive for Trypanosoma microti DNA, previously detected in the England and Japan. The present study, therefore, provides the first discovery of T. microti in Mexico, thereby increasing the known richness of species of the genus Trypanosoma in rodents from this country and the Mexican Transition Zone.

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.