Occurrence and diversity of Sarcocystidae protozoa in muscle and brain tissues of bats from São Paulo state, Brazil

Abstract

Studies on infectious and emerging diseases caused by bats have been increasing worldwide due to their well-recognised status as a reservoir species for various infectious agents as well as their close relationship to humans and animals. This study reports the molecular frequency and diversity of the parasites belonging to the Sarcocystidae family in bats in São Paulo state, Brazil. A total of 2892 tissue samples (brain and pectoral muscle/heart homogenates) from 1921 bats belonging to 36 species were collected, and the Sarcocystidae protozoan 18S ribosomal RNA encoding genes (18S rDNA) were detected by nested PCR and Sanger sequencing. The relative prevalence of Sarcocystidae species was 4.7% (91/1921) among 16 bat species, including insectivorous ( n = 65), frugivorous ( n = 13) and nectarivorous ( n = 11) bats. From 66 sequenced positive samples, 50 were found to be suitable for analysis. Ten samples from insectivorous and nectarivorous bats showed 100% similarity with Neospora caninum ( n = 1), Hammondia hammondi ( n = 1), Cystoisospora canis ( n = 1), Nephroisospora eptesici ( n = 1), Sarcocystis (Frenkelia) glareoli ( n = 1), and Toxoplasma gondii ( n = 5). The 45 non- T. gondii samples revealed 15 different 18S rDNA alleles with identities varying from 96.1 to 100% with several Sarcocystidae species, which might suggest that bats can harbour a large variety of Sarcocystidae organisms. From the five T. gondii -positive tissue samples, three samples from two different bat specimens of the insectivorous Eumops glacinus were characterised using 11 PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) markers, revealing the non-archetypal ToxoDB genotypes #6 (type BrI), which is one of the most prevalent in different hosts and regions from Brazil, and #69. We recommend the inclusion of T. gondii as a differential diagnosis for rabies and other neurological syndromes in bats.

Lack of Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in Pipistrellus spp. Bats from Densely Cat-Populated Areas of NE Spain

“…from our study concurs with what would be expected considering their feeding behavior, since they are strictly insectivorous species [21]. In contrast, previous serological and molecular studies have evidenced high rates of T. gondii infection in insectivorous bats [15] and multiple risk factors, other than trophic sources, have been proposed: different ecological traits of bat species (gregariousness, dietary habits), environmental conditions and density of oocysts in the environment [1,14,16,27,28]. The present is the third study focused on the presence of T. gondii in insectivorous bats performed in Europe.…”

Sentinels in the shadows: Exploring Toxoplasma gondii and other Sarcocystidae parasites in synanthropic rodents and their public health implications

“…The prevalence of H. hammondi remains undisclosed in both definitive and intermediate hosts. Only few research reported the sporadically presence of H. hammondi in cat and dog faeces ( Schares et al, 2005 , 2008 ; Dubey et al, 2013 ) and in intermediate host tissues ( Cabral et al, 2021 ).…”

Occurrence of Apicomplexa protozoa in wild birds in the Northeast region of Brazil

“…The genera Toxoplasma (22.7%, 10/44) and Sarcocystis (11.4%, 5/44) were reported in wild free-ranging birds rescued in the state of Minas Gerais ( Rêgo et al, 2021 ). Another study has shown 4.7% (91/1921) of bats with tissues positive for the 18S rDNA gene were detected, and eight genera of protozoa of the Sarcocystidae family ( Besnoitia, Cystoisospora, Hammondia, Hyaloklossia, Neospora, Nephroisospora, Sarcocystis , and Toxoplasma ) were identified in 50 samples of 16 bat species (belonging to the families Phyllostomidae, Molossidae, and Vespertilionidae) in the state of São Paulo ( Cabral et al, 2021 ). In addition, Ludwig et al (2021) detected the 18S rDNA gene in brain and heart tissue from six brown howler monkey ( Alouatta guariba clamitans ) and identified the genus Sarcocystis (4/6) and Toxoplasma (2/6).…”