The order Chiroptera is considered the second largest group of mammals in the world, hosting important zoonotic virus and bacteria. Bartonella and hemotropic mycoplasmas are bacteria that parasite different mammals' species, including humans, causing different clinical manifestations. The present work aimed investigating the occurrence and assessing the phylogenetic positioning of Bartonella spp. and Mycoplasma spp. in neotropical bats sampled from Brazil. Between December 2015 and April 2016, 325 blood and/or tissues samples were collected from 162 bats comprising 19 different species sampled in five states of Brazil. Out of 322 bat samples collected, while 17 (5·28%) were positive to quantitative PCR for Bartonella spp. based on nuoG gene, 45 samples (13·97%) were positive to cPCR assays for hemoplasmas based on 16S rRNA gene. While seven sequences were obtained for Bartonella (nuoG) (n = 3), gltA (n = 2), rpoB (n = 1), ftsZ (n = 1), five 16S rRNA sequences were obtained for hemoplasmas. In the phylogenetic analysis, the Bartonella sequences clustered with Bartonella genotypes detected in bats sampled in Latin America countries. All five hemoplasmas sequences clustered together as a monophyletic group by Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses. The present work showed the first evidence of circulation of Bartonella spp. and hemoplasmas among bats in Brazil.

Cáhuil Lagoon in central Chile harbors distinct microbial communities in various solar salterns that are arranged as interconnected ponds with increasing salt concentrations. Here, we report the metagenome of the 3.0- to 0.2-µm fraction of the microbial community present in a crystallizer pond with 34% salinity.

Recently, an increasing number of Bartonella species have been emerged to cause human diseases. Among animal reservoirs for Bartonella spp., bats stand out due to their high mobility, wide distribution, social behaviour and long‐life span. Although studies on the role of vampire bats in the epidemiology of rabies have been extensively investigated in Latin America, information on the circulation and genetic diversity of Bartonella species in these bat species is scarce. In the present work, 208 vampire bats, namely Desmodus rotundus (the common vampire bat; n = 167), Diphylla ecaudata (the hairy‐legged vampire bat; n = 32) and Diaemus youngii (the white‐winged vampire bat; n = 9) from 15 different states in Brazil were sampled. DNA was extracted from liver tissue samples and submitted to real‐time PCR (qPCR) and conventional PCR (cPCR) assays for Bartonella spp. targeting five genetic loci, followed by phylogenetic and genotype network analyses. Fifty‐one out of 208 liver samples (24.51%) were positive for Bartonella DNA in the ITS real‐time PCR assay [40 (78.43%) of them were from D. rotundus from 11 states, and 11 (21.57%) samples from D. ecaudata from three states. Eleven genotypes were found for each gltA and rpoB genes. Several ITS sequences detected in the present study clustered within the lineage that includes B. bacilliformis and B. ancachensis. The Bayesian phylogenetic inference based on the gltA gene positioned the obtained sequences in six different clades, closely related to Bartonella genotypes previously detected in D. rotundus and associated ectoparasites sampled in Latin America. On the other hand, the Bartonella rpoB genotypes clustered together with the ruminant species, B. schoenbuchensis and B. chomelii. The present study describes for the first time the molecular detection of Bartonella spp. in D. ecaudata bats. It also indicates that Bartonella spp. of vampire bats are genetically diverse and geographically widespread in Brazil.

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This study aimed to molecularly survey Bartonella in dogs from Chile. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for Bartonella spp. based on nuoG gene was performed in 139 blood samples taken from dogs belonging to rural localities of the Valdivia Province, Los Ríos region, southern Chile. nuoG qPCR-positive samples were submitted to conventional PCR assays for ftsZ, gltA, rpoB and nuoG genes and sequencing for speciation and phylogenetic analysis. Based upon qPCR results, Bartonella spp. occurrence in dogs was 4.3% (6/139). Out of six nuoG qPCR-positive samples, six, three, two and none showed positive results in cPCR assays based on gltA, ftsZ, rpoB and nuoG genes, respectively. Consistent sequencing results were obtained only for the ftsZ gene from sample #1532 (GeneBank accession number: MG252491), and gltA gene from samples #1535 (MG252490) and #1532 (148 bp fragment that was not deposited in GenBank). Phylogenetic analysis of ftsZ and gltA genes allowed speciation of two nuoG-positive samples, one as Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and the other as B. henselae. Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii and B. henselae are detected for the first time in dogs from Chile, highlighting the importance of the canine population as a source of zoonotic agents and potential infection risk to humans.