Diversity and role of cave-dwelling hematophagous insects in pathogen transmission in the Afrotropical region

Obame-Nkoghe, Judicaël; Leroy, Eric M.; Paupy, Christophe

doi:10.1038/emi.2017.6

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Although the vectors of the Australian T. noyesi are also unknown, molecular surveys have suggested that tabanid flies and biting midges can be its vectors (Botero et al, 2016). A large diversity of haematophagous hemipterans (triatomines and cimicids) and dipterans (including cave-dwelling sand flies and culicids) including a range of ectoparasites (flies, ticks, mites, cimicids and fleas) feed on bats (Obame-Nkoghe et al, 2017), and all these arthropods should allow for both cyclical and mechanical trypanosome transmission. In addition to abundance of bat species living in diverse environments, gregariousness behaviour of bats favour host switching of ectoparasites.…”

Section: Triatomines and Cimicids Play Important Roles In The Evolutimentioning

confidence: 99%

Trypanosoma rangeli is phylogenetically closer to Old World trypanosomes than to Trypanosoma cruzi

Espinosa-Álvarez

Ortíz

Lima

et al. 2018

International Journal for Parasitology

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Trypanosoma rangeli and Trypanosoma cruzi are generalist trypanosomes sharing a wide range of mammalian hosts; they are transmitted by triatomine bugs, and are the only trypanosomes infecting humans in the Neotropics. Their origins, phylogenetic relationships, and emergence as human parasites have long been subjects of interest. In the present study, taxon-rich analyses (20 trypanosome species from bats and terrestrial mammals) using ssrRNA, glycosomal glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH), heat shock protein-70 (HSP70) and Spliced Leader RNA sequences, and multilocus phylogenetic analyses using 11 single copy genes from 15 selected trypanosomes, provide increased resolution of relationships between species and clades, strongly supporting two main sister lineages: lineage Schizotrypanum, comprising T. cruzi and bat-restricted trypanosomes, and Tra[Tve-Tco] formed by T. rangeli, Trypanosoma vespertilionis and Trypanosoma conorhini clades. Tve comprises European T. vespertilionis and African T. vespertilionis-like of bats and bat cimicids characterised in the present study and Trypanosoma sp. Hoch reported in monkeys and herein detected in bats. Tco included the triatomine-transmitted tropicopolitan T. conorhini from rats and the African NanDoum1 trypanosome of civet (carnivore). Consistent with their very close relationships, Tra[Tve-Tco] species shared highly similar Spliced Leader RNA structures that were highly divergent from those of Schizotrypanum. In a plausible evolutionary scenario, a bat trypanosome transmitted by cimicids gave origin to the deeply rooted Tra[Tve-Tco] and Schizotrypanum lineages, and bat trypanosomes of diverse genetic backgrounds jumped to new hosts. A long and independent evolutionary history of T. rangeli more related to Old World trypanosomes from bats, rats, monkeys and civets than to Schizotrypanum spp., and the adaptation of these distantly related trypanosomes to different niches of shared mammals and vectors, is consistent with the marked differences in transmission routes, life-cycles and host-parasite interactions, resulting in T. cruzi (but not T. rangeli) being pathogenic to humans.

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Section: Triatomines and Cimicids Play Important Roles In The Evolutimentioning

confidence: 99%

Trypanosoma rangeli is phylogenetically closer to Old World trypanosomes than to Trypanosoma cruzi

Espinosa-Álvarez

Ortíz

Lima

et al. 2018

International Journal for Parasitology

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“…Studies on mosquito blood meals have revealed that mosquito could feed on bats and other mammals [ 62 , 63 ]. Bat flies appear to be highly bat-specific, adapted to their lifestyle [ 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 ] and are involved in the transmission of pathogens [ 64 ]. However, this specificity would preclude interspecies pathogen transmission.…”

Section: Vector-borne Route Of Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ebola Virus Maintenance: If Not (Only) Bats, What Else?

Caron

Bourgarel

Cappelle

et al. 2018

Viruses

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The maintenance mechanisms of ebolaviruses in African forest ecosystems are still unknown, but indirect evidences point at the involvement of some bat species. Despite intense research, the main bat-maintenance hypothesis has not been confirmed yet. The alternative hypotheses of a non-bat maintenance host or a maintenance community including, or not, several bat and other species, deserves more investigation. However, African forest ecosystems host a large biodiversity and abound in potential maintenance hosts. How does one puzzle out? Since recent studies have revealed that several bat species have been exposed to ebolaviruses, the common denominator to these hypotheses is that within the epidemiological cycle, some bats species must be exposed to the viruses and infected by these potential alternative hosts. Under this constraint, and given the peculiar ecology of bats (roosting behaviour, habitat utilisation, and flight mode), we review the hosts and transmission pathways that can lead to bat exposure and infection to ebolaviruses. In contrast to the capacity of bats to transmit ebolaviruses and other pathogens to many hosts, our results indicate that only a limited number of hosts and pathways can lead to the transmission of ebolaviruses to bats, and that the alternative maintenance host, if it exists, must be amongst them. A list of these pathways is provided, along with protocols to prioritise and investigate these alternative hypotheses. In conclusion, taking into account the ecology of bats and their known involvement in ebolaviruses ecology drastically reduces the list of potential alternative maintenance hosts for ebolaviruses. Understanding the natural history of ebolaviruses is a health priority, and investigating these alternative hypotheses could complete the current effort focused on the role of bats.

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“…Underground spaces such as natural caves, mining galleries, tunnels and culverts (henceforth referred to as ‘caves’) are resting and hibernation shelters for numerous families of insects, including hematophagous Diptera such as Psychodidae, Ceratopogonidae and Culicidae (Obame-Nkoghe et al 2017a ; Carvalho et al 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA-aided identification of Culex mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) reveals unexpected diversity in underground cavities in Austria

et al. 2019

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Subterranean cavities serve as resting places and hibernation shelters for mosquitoes. In Europe, members of the genus Culex are often the most abundant insects on cave walls. Culex pipiens L., the common house mosquito, exists in two physically very similar, yet genetically and ecologically distinct biotypes (or forms, ‘f.’), namely Cx. pipiens f. pipiens and Cx . pipiens f. molestus . Autogeny and stenogamy of the latter form have been interpreted as adaptations to underground habitats. The epigean occurrence of the two biotypes and their hybrids was recently examined in Eastern Austria, but the hypogean distribution of the Cx. pipiens complex and morphologically similar non-members such as Cx. torrentium is unknown. Considering the key role of Culex mosquitoes in the epidemiology of certain zoonotic pathogens, the general paucity of data on species composition and relative abundance in subterranean shelters appears unfortunate. For a first pertinent investigation in Austria, we collected mosquitoes in four eastern federal states. Based on analyses of the ACE2 gene and the CQ11 microsatellite locus, 150 female and three male mosquitoes of the genus Culex , two females of the genus Culiseta and a single female of the genus Anopheles were determined to species level or below. In our catches, Cx. pipiens f. pipiens exceeded the apparent abundance of the purportedly cave-adapted Cx . pipiens f. molestus many times over. Records of Cx. hortensis and Cx. territans , two species rarely collected in Austria, lead us to infer that underground habitats host a higher diversity of culicine mosquitoes than previously thought.

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Diversity and role of cave-dwelling hematophagous insects in pathogen transmission in the Afrotropical region

Cited by 11 publications

References 42 publications

Trypanosoma rangeli is phylogenetically closer to Old World trypanosomes than to Trypanosoma cruzi

Trypanosoma rangeli is phylogenetically closer to Old World trypanosomes than to Trypanosoma cruzi

Ebola Virus Maintenance: If Not (Only) Bats, What Else?

DNA-aided identification of Culex mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) reveals unexpected diversity in underground cavities in Austria

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