Screening of bat faeces for arthropod-borne apicomplexan protozoa: Babesia canis and Besnoitia besnoiti-like sequences from Chiroptera

Abstract

BackgroundBats are among the most eco-epidemiologically important mammals, owing to their presence in human settlements and animal keeping facilities. Roosting of bats in buildings may bring pathogens of veterinary-medical importance into the environment of domestic animals and humans. In this context bats have long been studied as carriers of various pathogen groups. However, despite their close association with arthropods (both in their food and as their ectoparasites), only a few molecular surveys have been published on their role as carriers of vector-borne protozoa. The aim of the present study was to compensate for this scarcity of information.FindingsAltogether 221 (mostly individual) bat faecal samples were collected in Hungary and the Netherlands. The DNA was extracted, and analysed with PCR and sequencing for the presence of arthropod-borne apicomplexan protozoa. Babesia canis canis (with 99-100 % homology) was identified in five samples, all from Hungary. Because it was excluded with an Ixodidae-specific PCR that the relevant bats consumed ticks, these sequences derive either from insect carriers of Ba. canis, or from the infection of bats. In one bat faecal sample from the Netherlands a sequence having the highest (99 %) homology to Besnoitia besnoiti was amplified.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that some aspects of the epidemiology of canine babesiosis are underestimated or unknown, i.e. the potential role of insect-borne mechanical transmission and/or the susceptibility of bats to Ba. canis. In addition, bats need to be added to future studies in the quest for the final host of Be. besnoiti.

DNA of Piroplasms of Ruminants and Dogs in Ixodid Bat Ticks

“…canis DNA in bat faeces [5], DNA extracts of 307 specimens were molecularly analysed for the presence of piroplasms (Apicomplexa: Piroplasmida). Among piroplasms, Babesia species are known to be transmitted transovarially by female ticks to the next generation (i.e.…”

“…Thus, urban bats may reach the highest individual number in the local mammalian fauna, further increasing their epidemiological significance. In addition, bat species that are indigenous in Europe feed predominantly on arthropods, and this makes it possible for them to get into contact with vector-borne pathogens not only from their ectoparasites, but also from their food [5]. …”

“…Therefore the present study was undertaken to ameliorate this lack of data on pathogens and/or pathogen DNA carried by ixodid bat ticks. Recently, DNA of Babesia canis has been detected in bat faeces [5], therefore piroplasms were chosen as the target group of analyses. It was also within the scope of this study to examine the geographical range and host spectrum of these tick species in Hungary and Romania, by including 17 species of bats (from three families and six genera) from these two countries.…”

Bovine besnoitiosis (Besnoitia besnoiti) in an Irish dairy herd

“…Cattle are considered an intermediate host, in which tissue cysts are formed. The definitive host is unknown (Jacquiet and others 2010), but a recent study has found Besnoitia -like DNA sequences in a faecal sample from a bat, which may warrant further investigation (Hornok and others 2015a). In endemic situations, cattle mortality rates of <1 per cent are expected (Bigalke 1981, Jacquiet and others 2010), while the percentage of animals with mild clinical signs in endemically infected herds may increase up to 50 per cent (Gutiérrez-Expósito and others 2015).…”

DNA of free-living bodonids (Euglenozoa: Kinetoplastea) in bat ectoparasites: potential relevance to the evolution of parasitic trypanosomatids

“…During the past years research on bat ectoparasites broadened in this region of Central Europe (Hornok et al, 2014(Hornok et al, , 2016(Hornok et al, , 2017. Bats are highly protected mammals in Hungary and in Romania; consequently, research on pathogens associated with bats focused on non-invasive sampling methods, e.g., ectoparasites and faeces (Hornok et al, 2012(Hornok et al, , 2015a. Therefore, it was decided to screen a large sample collection of blood-sucking bat ectoparasites (ixodid and argasid ticks, as well as cimicid bugs) for DNA of kinetoplastids.…”