Virulent Brucella nosferati infecting Desmodus rotundus has emerging potential due to the broad foraging range of its bat host for humans and wild and domestic animals

Abstract

Desmodus rotundus, vampire bats, transmit dangerous infections, and brucellosis is a hazardous zoonotic disease, two adversities that coexist in the subtropical and tropical areas of the American continent. Here, we report a 47.89% Brucella infection prevalence in a colony of vampire bats inhabiting the tropical rainforest of Costa Rica. The bacterium induced placentitis and fetal death in bats. Wide-range phenotypic and genotypic characterization placed the Brucella organisms as a new pathogenic species named Brucella nosferati sp. nov., isolated from bat tissues, including the salivary glands, suggesting feeding behavior might favor transmission to their prey. Overall analyses placed B. nosferati as the etiological agent of a reported canine brucellosis case, demonstrating its potential for infecting other hosts. To assess the putative prey hosts, we analyzed the intestinal contents of 14 infected and 23 non-infected bats by proteomics. A total of 54,508 peptides sorted into 7,203 unique peptides corresponding to 1,521 proteins were identified. Twenty-three wildlife and domestic taxa, including humans, were foraged by B. nosferati -infected D. rotundus , suggesting contact of this bacterium with a broad range of hosts. Our approach is appropriate for detecting, in a single study, the prey preferences of vampire bats in a diverse area, demonstrating its suitability for control strategies where vampire bats thrive. IMPORTANCE The discovery that a high proportion of vampire bats in a tropical area is infected with pathogenic Brucella nosferati and that bats forage on humans and many wild and domestic animals is relevant from the perspective of emerging disease prevention. Indeed, bats harboring B. nosferati in their salivary glands may transmit this pathogenic bacterium to other hosts. This potential is not trivial since, besides the demonstrated pathogenicity, this bacterium possesses all the required virulent arsenal of dangerous Brucella organisms, including those that are zoonotic for humans. Our work has settled the basis for future surveillance actions in brucellosis control programs where these infected bats thrive. Moreover, our strategy to identify the foraging range of bats may be adapted for exploring the feeding habits of diverse animals, including arthropod vectors of infectious diseases, and therefore of interest to a broader audience besides experts on Brucella and bats.

Antigenic and molecular evidence of Brucella sp.-associated epididymo-orchitis in frugivorous (Artibeus lituratus) and nectarivorous (Glossophaga soricina) bats in Brazil

“…infection in various species of bats from different parts of the world, a pioneering study has demonstrated serologic evidence of Brucella infection in vampire bats ( Desmodus rotundus ) in Brazil ( 17 ). Importantly, during the course of this study, infection of Desmodus rotundus vampire bats with a novel Brucella species was described, and the newly identified species was named Brucella nosferati ( 18 ). Unfortunately, only formalin-fixed samples were available in this study, which prevented us from attempting isolation and characterization of the Brucella sp.…”

“…( 13 – 16 ). Importantly, anti- Brucella antibodies have been detected in vampire bats ( Desmodus rotundus ) in Brazil ( 17 ), and recently, a novel Brucella species has been identified infecting vampire bats in Costa Rica ( 18 ). Thus, the finding of genital lesions, which are known to be associated with Brucella infection in many animal species ( 10 – 12 ), in free-ranging bats prompted us to investigate the possibility of Brucella infection.…”