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Weissenbacher-Lang C, Grenl A, Blasi B. Meta-Analysis and Systematic Literature Review of the Genus Pneumocystis in Pet, Farm, Zoo, and Wild Mammal Species. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:1081. [PMID: 37998885 PMCID: PMC10672670 DOI: 10.3390/jof9111081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
A systematic literature search on Pneumocystis in 276 pet, farm, zoo, and wild mammal species resulted in 124 publications originating from 38 countries that were analyzed descriptively and statistically, for which inclusion and exclusion criteria were exactly defined. The range of recorded Pneumocystis prevalence was broad, yet in half of the citations a prevalence of ≤25% was documented. Prevalence was significantly dependent on the method used for Pneumocystis detection, with PCR revealing the highest percentages. Pet animals showed the lowest median Pneumocystis prevalence, followed by farm, wild, and zoo animals. In contrast, pet and farm animals showed higher proportions of high-grade infection levels compared to zoo and wild mammals. Only in individual cases, all of them associated with severe Pneumocystis pneumonia, was an underlying immunosuppression confirmed. Acquired immunosuppression caused by other diseases was frequently discussed, but its significance, especially in highly immunosuppressive cases, needs to be clarified. This meta-analysis supported a potential influence of the social and environmental factors of the host on Pneumocystis transmission in wildlife, which must be further elucidated, as well as the genetic diversity of the fungus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christiane Weissenbacher-Lang
- Department for Pathobiology, Institute of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (A.G.); (B.B.)
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Detection of Pneumocystis and Morphological Description of Fungal Distribution and Severity of Infection in Thirty-Six Mammal Species. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:jof9020220. [PMID: 36836334 PMCID: PMC9960768 DOI: 10.3390/jof9020220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Pneumocystis spp. are thought to adapt to the lungs of potentially all mammals. However, the full host range, fungal burden and severity of infection are unknown for many species. In this study, lung tissue samples originating from 845 animals of 31 different families of eight mammal orders were screened by in situ hybridization (ISH) using a universal 18S rRNA probe for Pneumocystis, followed by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining for determining histopathological lesions. A total of 216 (26%) samples were positive for Pneumocystis spp., encompassing 36 of 98 investigated mammal species, with 17 of them being described for the first time for the presence of Pneumocystis spp. The prevalence of Pneumocystis spp. as assessed by ISH varied greatly among different mammal species while the organism load was overall low, suggesting a status of colonization or subclinical infection. Severe Pneumocystis pneumonia seemed to be very rare. For most of the Pneumocystis-positive samples, comparative microscopic examination of H&E- and ISH-stained serial sections revealed an association of the fungus with minor lesions, consistent with an interstitial pneumonia. Colonization or subclinical infection of Pneumocystis in the lung might be important in many mammal species because the animals may serve as a reservoir.
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Petružela J, Bryja J, Bryjová A, Katakweba A, Sabuni C, Baird SJE, de Bellocq JG. Evolutionary history of Pneumocystis fungi in their African rodent hosts. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2019; 75:103934. [PMID: 31247340 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2019.103934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Pneumocystis is a genus of parasitic fungi infecting lung tissues in a wide range of mammal species, displaying a strong host specificity and patterns of co-speciation with their hosts. However, a recent study on Asiatic murids challenged these patterns reporting several Pneumocystis lineages/species shared by different host species or even genera in the Rattini and Murini tribes. Here we screened lung samples of 27 species of African rodents from five families for the presence of Pneumocystis DNA. Using reconstructed multi-locus phylogenies of both hosts and parasites, we tested the hypothesis of their co-evolution. We found that Pneumocystis is widespread in African rodents, detected in all but seven screened host species, with species-level prevalence ranging from 5.9 to 100%. Several host species carry pairs of highly divergent Pneumocystis lineages/species. The retrieved co-phylogenetic signal was highly significant (p = .0017). We found multiple co-speciations, sorting events and two host-shift events, which occurred between Murinae and Deomyinae hosts. Comparison of genetic distances suggests higher substitution rates for Pneumocystis relative to the rodent hosts on neutral loci and slower rates on selected ones. We discuss life-history traits and population dynamics factors which could explain the observed results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Petružela
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Bryjová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Abdul Katakweba
- Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Christopher Sabuni
- Pest Management Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Stuart J E Baird
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Joëlle Goüy de Bellocq
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic
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Delaye L, Ruiz-Ruiz S, Calderon E, Tarazona S, Conesa A, Moya A. Evidence of the Red-Queen Hypothesis from Accelerated Rates of Evolution of Genes Involved in Biotic Interactions in Pneumocystis. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:1596-1606. [PMID: 29893833 PMCID: PMC6012782 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Pneumocystis species are ascomycete fungi adapted to live inside the lungs of mammals. These ascomycetes show extensive stenoxenism, meaning that each species of Pneumocystis infects a single species of host. Here, we study the effect exerted by natural selection on gene evolution in the genomes of three Pneumocystis species. We show that genes involved in host interaction evolve under positive selection. In the first place, we found strong evidence of episodic diversifying selection in Major surface glycoproteins (Msg). These proteins are located on the surface of Pneumocystis and are used for host attachment and probably for immune system evasion. Consistent with their function as antigens, most sites under diversifying selection in Msg code for residues with large relative surface accessibility areas. We also found evidence of positive selection in part of the cell machinery used to export Msg to the cell surface. Specifically, we found that genes participating in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) biosynthesis show an increased rate of nonsynonymous substitutions (dN) versus synonymous substitutions (dS). GPI is a molecule synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum that is used to anchor proteins to membranes. We interpret the aforementioned findings as evidence of selective pressure exerted by the host immune system on Pneumocystis species, shaping the evolution of Msg and several proteins involved in GPI biosynthesis. We suggest that genome evolution in Pneumocystis is well described by the Red-Queen hypothesis whereby genes relevant for biotic interactions show accelerated rates of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Delaye
- Departamento de Ingeniería Genética, CINVESTAV Irapuato, Guanajuato, México
| | - Susana Ruiz-Ruiz
- Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO)-Salud Pública, València, Spain
| | - Enrique Calderon
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad de Sevilla.,Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sonia Tarazona
- Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe, València, Spain.,Departamento de Estadística e Investigación Operativa Aplicadas y Calidad, Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
| | - Ana Conesa
- Centro de Investigacion Principe Felipe, València, Spain.,Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida
| | - Andrés Moya
- Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana (FISABIO)-Salud Pública, València, Spain.,Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, Universitat de València, Spain
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5
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Danesi P, Ravagnan S, Johnson LR, Furlanello T, Milani A, Martin P, Boyd S, Best M, Galgut B, Irwin P, Canfield PJ, Krockenberger MB, Halliday C, Meyer W, Malik R. Molecular diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia in dogs. Med Mycol 2018; 55:828-842. [PMID: 28339756 DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myx007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is a life-threatening fungal disease that can occur in dogs. The aim of this study was to provide a preliminary genetic characterisation of Pneumocystis carinii f.sp.'canis' (P. canis) in dogs and thereby develop a reliable molecular protocol to definitively diagnose canine PCP. We investigated P. canis in a variety of lung specimens from dogs with confirmed or strongly suspected PCP (Group 1, n = 16), dogs with non-PCP lower respiratory tract problems (Group 2, n = 65) and dogs not suspected of having PCP or other lower respiratory diseases (Group 3, n = 11). Presence of Pneumocystis DNA was determined by nested PCR of the large and small mitochondrial subunit rRNA loci and by a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay developed using a new set of primers. Molecular results were correlated with the presence of Pneumocystis morphotypes detected in cytological/histological preparations. Pneumocystis DNA was amplified from 13/16 PCP-suspected dogs (Group 1) and from 4/76 dogs of control Groups 2 and 3 (combined). The latter four dogs were thought to have been colonized by P. canis. Comparison of CT values in 'infected' versus 'colonized' dogs was consistent with this notion, with a distinct difference in molecular burden between groups (CT ≤ 26 versus CT range (26 <CT < 35), respectively). Phylogenetic analyses showed that P. canis is specifically 'canine' associated, being separated from other mammalian Pneumocystis species, thereby confirming the accuracy of qPCR amplicon for Pneumocystis in dogs. Using qPCR, Pneumocystis DNA can be detected in specimens from the respiratory tract and a CT value can be interpreted to distinguish infection versus colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Danesi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Silvia Ravagnan
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Lynelle R Johnson
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | | | - Adelaide Milani
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Patricia Martin
- Veterinary Pathology Diagnostic Services, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Susan Boyd
- QML Vetnostics, Riverview Place, Metroplex on Gateway, Murrarie, QLD Australia
| | - Matthew Best
- Brisbane Veterinary Specialist Centre, Corner Keong & Old Northern Roads, Albany Creek, QLD Australia
| | - Bradley Galgut
- Australian Specialised Animal Pathology (ASAP) Laboratories, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter Irwin
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Paul J Canfield
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark B Krockenberger
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Catriona Halliday
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR - Pathology West, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Wieland Meyer
- Molecular Mycology Research Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Sydney Medical School-Westmead Hospital, Marie Bashir Institute for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, University of Sydney, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, Australia
| | - Richard Malik
- Centre for Veterinary Education, B22, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Genetic diversity and evolution of Pneumocystis fungi infecting wild Southeast Asian murid rodents. Parasitology 2017; 145:885-900. [PMID: 29117878 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182017001883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Pneumocystis organisms are airborne-transmitted fungal parasites that infect the lungs of numerous mammalian species with strong host specificity. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity and host specificity of Pneumocystis organisms infecting Southeast Asian murid rodents through PCR amplification of two mitochondrial genes and tested the co-phylogeny hypothesis among these fungi and their rodent hosts. Pneumocystis DNA was detected in 215 of 445 wild rodents belonging to 18 Southeast Asian murid species. Three of the Pneumocystis lineages retrieved in our phylogenetic trees correspond to known Pneumocystis species, but some of the remaining lineages may correspond to new undescribed species. Most of these Pneumocystis species infect several rodent species or genera and some sequence types are shared among several host species and genera. These results indicated a weaker host specificity of Pneumocystis species infecting rodents than previously thought. Our co-phylogenetic analyses revealed a complex evolutionary history among Pneumocystis and their rodent hosts. Even if a significant global signal of co-speciation has been detected, co-speciation alone is not sufficient to explain the observed co-phylogenetic pattern and several host switches are inferred. These findings conflict with the traditional view of a prolonged process of co-evolution and co-speciation of Pneumocystis and their hosts.
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Demanche C, Deville M, Michaux J, Barriel V, Pinçon C, Aliouat-Denis CM, Pottier M, Noël C, Viscogliosi E, Aliouat EM, Dei-Cas E, Morand S, Guillot J. What do Pneumocystis organisms tell us about the phylogeography of their hosts? The case of the woodmouse Apodemus sylvaticus in continental Europe and western Mediterranean islands. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0120839. [PMID: 25830289 PMCID: PMC4382281 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Pneumocystis fungi represent a highly diversified biological group with numerous species, which display a strong host-specificity suggesting a long co-speciation process. In the present study, the presence and genetic diversity of Pneumocystis organisms was investigated in 203 lung samples from woodmice (Apodemus sylvaticus) collected on western continental Europe and Mediterranean islands. The presence of Pneumocystis DNA was assessed by nested PCR at both large and small mitochondrial subunit (mtLSU and mtSSU) rRNA loci. Direct sequencing of nested PCR products demonstrated a very high variability among woodmouse-derived Pneumocystis organisms with a total number of 30 distinct combined mtLSU and mtSSU sequence types. However, the genetic divergence among these sequence types was very low (up to 3.87%) and the presence of several Pneumocystis species within Apodemus sylvaticus was considered unlikely. The analysis of the genetic structure of woodmouse-derived Pneumocystis revealed two distinct groups. The first one comprised Pneumocystis from woodmice collected in continental Spain, France and Balearic islands. The second one included Pneumocystis from woodmice collected in continental Italy, Corsica and Sicily. These two genetic groups were in accordance with the two lineages currently described within the host species Apodemus sylvaticus. Pneumocystis organisms are emerging as powerful tools for phylogeographic studies in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Demanche
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie (EA4547), Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Lille, Lille, France; Institut Pasteur de Lille, Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Inserm U1019, UMR CNRS 8204, Université de Lille, BioPôle d'Alfort, Biologie et Diversité des Pathogènes Eucaryotes Emergents, Lille, France
| | - Manjula Deville
- ENVA, UPEC, Research group Dynamyc, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94704, Maisons-Alfort Cedex, France
| | - Johan Michaux
- CBGP (Centre de Biologie et de Gestion des Populations), UMR INRA/IRD/Cirad/Montpellier SupAgro, Campus international de Baillarguet, CS 30016, 34988, Montferrier-sur-Lez cedex, France; Institut de Botanique (B22), University of Liège, 4000, Liège, (Sart Tilman), Belgium
| | - Véronique Barriel
- Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, CR2P-UMR 7207 CNRS, MNHN, Univ Paris06, Paris, France
| | - Claire Pinçon
- Departement of Biostatistics (EA2694), Université de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Cécile Marie Aliouat-Denis
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie (EA4547), Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Lille, Lille, France; Institut Pasteur de Lille, Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Inserm U1019, UMR CNRS 8204, Université de Lille, BioPôle d'Alfort, Biologie et Diversité des Pathogènes Eucaryotes Emergents, Lille, France
| | - Muriel Pottier
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie (EA4547), Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Lille, Lille, France; Institut Pasteur de Lille, Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Inserm U1019, UMR CNRS 8204, Université de Lille, BioPôle d'Alfort, Biologie et Diversité des Pathogènes Eucaryotes Emergents, Lille, France
| | - Christophe Noël
- Geneius Laboratories Ltd, INEX Business Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Eric Viscogliosi
- Institut Pasteur de Lille, Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Inserm U1019, UMR CNRS 8204, Université de Lille, BioPôle d'Alfort, Biologie et Diversité des Pathogènes Eucaryotes Emergents, Lille, France
| | - El Moukhtar Aliouat
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie (EA4547), Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Lille, Lille, France; Institut Pasteur de Lille, Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Inserm U1019, UMR CNRS 8204, Université de Lille, BioPôle d'Alfort, Biologie et Diversité des Pathogènes Eucaryotes Emergents, Lille, France
| | - Eduardo Dei-Cas
- Institut Pasteur de Lille, Centre d'Infection et d'Immunité de Lille, Inserm U1019, UMR CNRS 8204, Université de Lille, BioPôle d'Alfort, Biologie et Diversité des Pathogènes Eucaryotes Emergents, Lille, France; Parasitologie-Mycologie (EA4547) Faculté de Médecine, Université de Lille, CHRU, Lille, France
| | - Serge Morand
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR CNRS-IRD-UM2, Université de Montpellier 2, F-34093, Montpellier, France; CIRAD-CNRS, Centre d'Infectiologie Christophe Mérieux du Laos, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | - Jacques Guillot
- ENVA, UPEC, Research group Dynamyc, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, 94704, Maisons-Alfort Cedex, France
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Herdina AN, Hulva P, Horáček I, Benda P, Mayer C, Hilgers H, Metscher BD. MicroCT Imaging Reveals Morphometric Baculum Differences for Discriminating the Cryptic SpeciesPipistrellus pipistrellusandP. pygmaeus. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2014. [DOI: 10.3161/150811014x683372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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González-González AE, Aliouat-Denis CM, Ramírez-Bárcenas JA, Demanche C, Pottier M, Carreto-Binaghi LE, Akbar H, Derouiche S, Chabé M, Aliouat EM, Dei-Cas E, Taylor ML. Histoplasma capsulatum and Pneumocystis spp. co-infection in wild bats from Argentina, French Guyana, and Mexico. BMC Microbiol 2014; 14:23. [PMID: 24495513 PMCID: PMC3916801 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-14-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2013] [Accepted: 01/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Histoplasma capsulatum and Pneumocystis organisms cause host infections primarily affecting the lung tissue. H. capsulatum is endemic in the United States of America and Latin American countries. In special environments, H. capsulatum is commonly associated with bat and bird droppings. Pneumocystis-host specificity has been primarily studied in laboratory animals, and its ability to be harboured by wild animals remains as an important issue for understanding the spread of this pathogen in nature. Bats infected with H. capsulatum or Pneumocystis spp. have been found, with this mammal serving as a probable reservoir and disperser; however, the co-infection of bats with both of these microorganisms has never been explored. To evaluate the impact of H. capsulatum and Pneumocystis spp. infections in this flying mammal, 21 bat lungs from Argentina (AR), 13 from French Guyana (FG), and 88 from Mexico (MX) were screened using nested-PCR of the fragments, employing the Hcp100 locus for H. capsulatum and the mtLSUrRNA and mtSSUrRNA loci for Pneumocystis organisms. Results Of the 122 bats studied, 98 revealed H. capsulatum infections in which 55 of these bats exhibited this infection alone. In addition, 51 bats revealed Pneumocystis spp. infection of which eight bats exhibited a Pneumocystis infection alone. A total of 43 bats (eight from AR, one from FG, and 34 from MX) were found co-infected with both fungi, representing a co-infection rate of 35.2% (95% CI = 26.8-43.6%). Conclusion The data highlights the H. capsulatum and Pneumocystis spp.co-infection in bat population’s suggesting interplay with this wild host.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Maria Lucia Taylor
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico.
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Cavallini Sanches EM, Ferreiro L, Andrade CP, Pacheco SM, Almeida LL, Spanamberg A, Wissmann G. Pneumocystis sp. in bats evaluated by qPCR. J Mycol Med 2013; 23:47-52. [PMID: 23380373 DOI: 10.1016/j.mycmed.2012.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2012] [Revised: 11/20/2012] [Accepted: 11/27/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Molecular techniques have revealed a high prevalence of Pneumocystis colonization in wild mammals. Accurate quantification of Pneumocystis sp. is essential for the correct interpretation of many research experiments investigating this organism. The objectives of this study were to detect the presence of Pneumocystis sp. in bats by qPCR, and to distinguish colonization from infection. Probes and primers for real time PCR (qPCR) were designed based on the gene of major surface glycoprotein (MSG) of Pneumocystis sp., in order to analyze 195 lung tissue samples from bats captured (2007-2009). All samples were also analyzed by nested PCR, using oligonucleotide primers designed for the gene encoding the mitochondrial small subunit rRNA (mtSSU rRNA) to confirm the results. The qPCR assay was standardized using a standard curve made with the DNA extracted from bronchoalveolar lavage positive for Pneumocystis jirovecii. The average Ct was found to be between 13 and 14 (calibration curve) for the detection of infection with Pneumocystis sp. and above these values for colonization. It was considered as negative samples the ones that had Ct values equal to 50. Out of the total 195 samples, 47 (24.1%) bat lung DNA samples were positive for Pneumocystis sp. by qPCR. The most common bat species found were: Tadarida brasiliensis (23.4%), Histiotus velatus (17.0%), Desmodus rotundus (14.9%) and Molossus molossus (8.5%). The average cycle threshold of the positive samples (bats) was 25.8 and standard deviation was 1.7. The DNA samples with Ct values greater than 14 suggest that these animals might be colonized by Pneumocystis sp. Results obtained in this study demonstrated the usefulness of the qPCR procedure for identification of Pneumocystis sp. and for distinction between its colonizing or infectious status in bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Cavallini Sanches
- Setor de Micologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
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Characterizing Pneumocystis in the lungs of bats: understanding Pneumocystis evolution and the spread of Pneumocystis organisms in mammal populations. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:8122-36. [PMID: 23001662 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01791-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats belong to a wide variety of species and occupy diversified habitats, from cities to the countryside. Their different diets (i.e., nectarivore, frugivore, insectivore, hematophage) lead Chiroptera to colonize a range of ecological niches. These flying mammals exert an undisputable impact on both ecosystems and circulation of pathogens that they harbor. Pneumocystis species are recognized as major opportunistic fungal pathogens which cause life-threatening pneumonia in severely immunocompromised or weakened mammals. Pneumocystis consists of a heterogeneous group of highly adapted host-specific fungal parasites that colonize a wide range of mammalian hosts. In the present study, 216 lungs of 19 bat species, sampled from diverse biotopes in the New and Old Worlds, were examined. Each bat species may be harboring a specific Pneumocystis species. We report 32.9% of Pneumocystis carriage in wild bats (41.9% in Microchiroptera). Ecological and behavioral factors (elevation, crowding, migration) seemed to influence the Pneumocystis carriage. This study suggests that Pneumocystis-host association may yield much information on Pneumocystis transmission, phylogeny, and biology in mammals. Moreover, the link between genetic variability of Pneumocystis isolated from populations of the same bat species and their geographic area could be exploited in terms of phylogeography.
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de Armas Y, Friaza V, Capó V, Durand-Joly I, Govín A, de La Horra C, Dei-Cas E, Calderón EJ. Low genetic diversity ofPneumocystis jiroveciiamong Cuban population based on two-locus mitochondrial typing. Med Mycol 2012; 50:417-20. [DOI: 10.3109/13693786.2011.607474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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