A tsetse and tabanid fly survey of African great apes habitats reveals the presence of a novel trypanosome lineage but the absence of Trypanosoma brucei

Votýpka, Jan; Rádrová, Jana; Skalický, Tomáš; Jirků, Milan; Jírsová, Dagmar; Mihalca, Andrei Daniel; D’Amico, Gianluca; Petrželková, Klára J.; Modrý, David; Lukeš, Julius

doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2015.06.005

Cited by 35 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…in gorillas and chimpanzees by detecting of parasite DNA in great ape feces coming from the same area as in the original study ( Hamad et al, 2015a ). In previous studies, we have used various detection methodologies for thousands of samples including fecal samples, and the results arising from our research have appeared in numerous studies (e.g., Myšková et al, 2008 ; Jirků et al, 2012 , 2015 ; Týč et al, 2013 ; Votýpka et al, 2015a ; Mapua and Votýpka, 2015 ; Mapua et al, 2015 , 2016 ; Ionică et al, 2017 ). Due to the prevalence of previous rigorously acquired results, the established and long-term nature of our work in this scientific field, and our experience in the detection of leishmania parasites (see Akhoundi et al, 2017 ), we feel competent to have conducted such a study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An unexpected diversity of trypanosomatids in fecal samples of great apes

Votýpka

Pafčo

Modrý

et al. 2018

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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Charismatic great apes have been used widely and effectively as flagship species in conservation campaigns for decades. These iconic representatives of their ecosystems could also play a role as reservoirs of several zoonotic diseases. Recently it was demonstrated that African great apes can host Leishmania parasites (Kinetoplastea: Trypanosomatidae). Given that this finding raised a strong negative reaction from leishmania experts and the subsequent discussion did not lead to a clear resolution, we decided to analyze wild gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) fecal samples collected from the same area in Cameroon as in the original study. Fecal samples, used to circumvent the difficulties and ethics involved in obtaining blood samples from endangered wild apes, were screened by three different PCR assays for detection of Leishmania DNA. We did not detect any leishmania parasites in analyzed feces; however, sequencing of SSU rRNA revealed an unexpected diversity of free-living bodonids (Kinetoplastea: Bodonidae) and parasitic trypanosomatids (Kinetoplastea: Trypanosomatidae) other than Leishmania. A single detected Phytomonas species, found in chimpanzee feces, most likely originated from animal plant food. On the other hand, the presence of four free-living bodonid species and four parasitic insect monoxenous trypanosomatid, including two possible new species of the genus Herpetomonas, could be explained as ex post contamination of feces either from the environment or from flies (Diptera: Brachycera).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An unexpected diversity of trypanosomatids in fecal samples of great apes

Votýpka

Pafčo

Modrý

et al. 2018

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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“…The first amplification round consisting of 35 cycles was performed in a final volume of 20 μl of PCR mix (TopBio, Prague, Czech Republic) with S762 and S763 primers [12]. For the next step consisting of 35 amplification cycles, 1 μl of amplified product was used as a template with nested primers TR-F2 and TR-R2 [13]. Electrophoresis-positive bands were cut from the gel, purified using a High Pure PCR Product Purification Kit (Roche Diagnostics) according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and sequenced in the Core Facility of Faculty of Science.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) as vectors of avian trypanosomes

et al. 2017

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BackgroundAlthough avian trypanosomes are widespread parasites, the knowledge of their vectors is still incomplete. Despite biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are considered as potential vectors of avian trypanosomes, their role in transmission has not been satisfactorily elucidated. Our aim was to clarify the potential of biting midges to sustain the development of avian trypanosomes by testing their susceptibility to different strains of avian trypanosomes experimentally. Moreover, we screened biting midges for natural infections in the wild.ResultsLaboratory-bred biting midges Culicoides nubeculosus were highly susceptible to trypanosomes from the Trypanosoma bennetti and T. avium clades. Infection rates reached 100%, heavy infections developed in 55–87% of blood-fed females. Parasite stages from the insect gut were infective for birds. Moreover, midges could be infected after feeding on a trypanosome-positive bird. Avian trypanosomes can thus complete their cycle in birds and biting midges. Furthermore, we succeeded to find infected blood meal-free biting midges in the wild.ConclusionsBiting midges are probable vectors of avian trypanosomes belonging to T. bennetti group. Midges are highly susceptible to artificial infections, can be infected after feeding on birds, and T. bennetti-infected biting midges (Culicoides spp.) have been found in nature. Moreover, midges can be used as model hosts producing metacyclic avian trypanosome stages infective for avian hosts.

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“…To rectify data deficiencies, ecologists need an expanded set of tools to address current limitations. One recent addition to the biodiversity monitoring toolkit is DNA extracted from carrion feeding or haematophagous insects (Calvignac-Spencer et al, 2013;Rovie-Ryan et al, 2013;Votýpka et al, 2015) and leeches (Schnell et al, 2012). Schnell et al (2012) found that 84% of collected leeches (N = 25) contained mammalian DNA of sufficient quantity and quality to be extracted and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using terrestrial haematophagous leeches to enhance tropical biodiversity monitoring programmes in Bangladesh

Weiskopf

McCarthy

Tessler

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Measuring mammal biodiversity in tropical rainforests is challenging, and methods that reduce effort while maximizing success are crucial for long‐term monitoring programmes. Commonly used methods to assess mammal biodiversity may require substantial sampling effort to be effective. Genetic methods are a new and important sampling tool on the horizon, but obtaining sufficient DNA samples can be a challenge. We evaluated the efficacy of using parasitic leeches Haemadipsa spp., as compared to camera trapping, to sample biodiversity. We collected 200 leeches from four forest patches in northeast Bangladesh, and identified recent vertebrate hosts using Sanger sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene extracted from each individual leech's blood meals. We then compared these data to species data from camera trapping conducted in the same forest patches. Overall, 41.9% of sequenced leeches contained amplifiable non‐human mammal DNA. Four days of collecting leeches led to the identification of 12 species, compared to 26 species identified in 1,334 camera trap nights. Synthesis and applications. After assessing the cost, effort and power of each technique, there are pros and cons to both camera trapping and leech blood meal analysis. Camera trapping and leech collection appear to be complementary approaches. When used together, they may provide a more complete monitoring tool for mammal biodiversity in tropical rainforests. Managers should consider adding leech collection to their biodiversity monitoring toolkit, as improved information will allow managers to create more effective conservation programmes.

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A tsetse and tabanid fly survey of African great apes habitats reveals the presence of a novel trypanosome lineage but the absence of Trypanosoma brucei

Cited by 35 publications

References 31 publications

An unexpected diversity of trypanosomatids in fecal samples of great apes

An unexpected diversity of trypanosomatids in fecal samples of great apes

Biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) as vectors of avian trypanosomes

Using terrestrial haematophagous leeches to enhance tropical biodiversity monitoring programmes in Bangladesh

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