Molecular Survey of Anaplasmataceae Agents and Coxiellaceae in Non-Hematophagous Bats and Associated Ectoparasites from Brazil

Abstract

The Anaplasmataceae family (order Rickettsiales) encompasses obligately intracellular bacteria of the genera Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Neorickettsia. Together with Coxiella burnetii (Coxiellaceae family, order Legionellales), these bacteria represent important causative agents of diseases in humans and animals. The scarcity of studies that investigated the occurrence of these agents in bats and their associated ectoparasites, emphasizes the need to achieve a better understanding of the role of these animals in the maintenance of such bacteria. Herein, 418 samples (133 blood, 135 spleen, and 150 ectoparasites) are collected from 135 non-hematophagous bats belonging to 12 species in a periurban area of Campo Grande city, Mato Grosso do Sul state, midwestern Brazil. In the results, 1.65% (7/418), 12.04% (50/418), and 13.63% (57/418) of samples are positive in PCR assays for Anaplasma spp. (16S rRNA gene), Ehrlichia spp. (dsb gene), and Neorickettsia spp. (16S rRNA gene), respectively. Anaplasma spp. and Neorickettsia spp. are detected in one (5.26%) Ornithodoros hasei tick larva. Ehrlichia spp. is detected in 14% of bat flies (represented by Megistopoda aranea, Trichobius costalimai, and Strebla hertigi), 6% of tick larvae (O. hasei), 12% of Spinturnicidae mites (represented by Periglischrus sp., P. torrealbai, and P. acutisternus), and 38% of Macronyssidae mites (Steatonyssuss sp.). The obtained sequences are observed to be similar to Anaplasma phagocytophilum (97.42–97.6% identified), Ehrlichia minasensis (96.73–100% identified), Neorickettsia risticii (96.7–100% identified), and Neorickettsia findlayensis (95.07–100% identified) by BLASTn analyses, and closely related to Ehrlichia ruminantium by phylogenetic analyses based on the gltA gene. No bat samples (blood/spleen) are positive in the qPCR assay for C. burnetii based on the IS1111 gene. The present work shows, for the first time, the occurrence of Anaplasmataceae in bats and associated ectoparasites (ticks, mites, and bat flies) from Brazil.

Molecular detection of vector‐borne agents in wild boars ( Sus scrofa ) and associated ticks from Brazil, with evidence of putative new genotypes of Ehrlichia , Anaplasma , and haemoplasmas

“…Therefore, the primers and probes used might have not been able to hybridize to groEL gene of the putative novel genotypes of Ehrlichia and Anaplasma found in this body of work. Similar results were found when screening biological samples of armadillos, sloths, anteaters (Calchi et al, 2020), and bats (Ikeda et al, 2021) for Ehrlichia and Anaplasma using this qPCR protocol. On the other hand, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma genotypes were detected in biological samples from wild rodents (Benevenute et al, 2017) and wild birds (Sacchi et al, 2021) using the referred qPCR assay.…”

Multi-Locus Sequencing Reveals Putative Novel Anaplasmataceae Agents, ‘Candidatus Ehrlichia dumleri’ and Anaplasma sp., in Ring-Tailed Coatis (Carnivora: Nasua nasua) from Urban Forested Fragments at Midwestern Brazil

“…and Anaplasma spp. in different orders of wild animals [1, [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. These epidemiological studies indicate an abundant diversity of Anaplasmataceae agents circulating in wild mammals, pointing out the occurrence of putative new species.…”

Q fever and coxiellosis in Brazil: an underestimated disease? A brief review

“…In 2020, in the regions of Pernambuco and Ceará, one rodent (Wiedomys pyrrhorhinos) and one marsupial (Didelphis albiventris) were seroreactive to C. burnetii at endpoint titers of 128 and 4,096, respectively, by IFA test, no phase I or phase II specification (Oliveira et al, 2020). Finally, in 2021, Mato Grosso do Sul, Ikeda et al (2021) sampled 135 non-hematophagous bats and did not find real-time PCR positivity for C. burnetii based on the IS1111 gene. Therefore, bats do not act as important hosts in epidemiology or C. burnetii in Brazil.…”