Histoplasma capsulatum and Pneumocystis spp. co-infection in wild bats from Argentina, French Guyana, and Mexico

Abstract

BackgroundHistoplasma 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.ResultsOf 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%).ConclusionThe data highlights the H. capsulatum and Pneumocystis spp.co-infection in bat population’s suggesting interplay with this wild host.

Molecular detection of Histoplasma capsulatum in insectivorous and frugivorous bats in Southeastern Brazil

“…H. capsulatum has been described in different wild animals. 2,[6][7][8] Bats become infected by inhalation, and the fungus may be disseminated systemically, including also to intestines. Once in feces, the fungus may be released to environment.…”

Infection byHistoplasma capsulatum, Cryptococcusspp. andParacoccidioides brasiliensisin bats collected in urban areas

“…The association between pathogenic fungi and bats, judging by analyses of the animals and excrement found mainly in caves and forest areas, has been documented by different authors (González‐González et al., ; Hance et al., ; Veloso et al., ). The main result of our study was the detection of natural infection with H. capsulatum , Cryptococcus spp.…”

Molecular detection ofPneumocystisin the lungs of cats

“…in many individuals. 45 In contrast, in pigs there seems to be a general tendency that concurrent viral and bacterial infections are less frequently observed in Pneumocystis-positive cases than in Pneumocystis-negative individuals. 29 A negative association between the presence of P. jirovecii and bacterial colonization was also shown in patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia.…”