Ferreira Michelle Santos, Guterres Alexandro, Rozental Tatiana, Novaes Roberto Leonan Morim, Vilar Emmanuel Messias, Oliveira Renata Carvalho de, Fernandes Jorlan, Forneas Danielle, Junior Adonai Alvino, Brandão Martha Lima, Cordeiro José Luis Passos, Del Valle Alvarez Martín Roberto, Althoff Sergio Luiz, Moratelli Ricardo, Cordeiro-Estrela Pedro, Silva Rui Cerqueira da, Lemos Elba Regina Sampaio de
Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses, Pavilhão Helio e Peggy Pereira, 1 Pavimento, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Avenida Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Pedro Calmon, 550, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
BMC Vet Res. 2018 Sep 10;14(1):279. doi: 10.1186/s12917-018-1603-0.
The role of bats as reservoirs of zoonotic agents, especially pathogenic bacteria such as Bartonella and Coxiella, has been discussed around the world. Recent studies have identified bats as potential hosts of species from the proteobacteria phylum. In Brazil, however, the role of bats in the natural cycle of these agents is poorly investigated and generally neglected. In order to analyze the participation of bats in the epidemiology of diseases caused by Bartonella, Coxiella, Rickettsia, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia, we conducted a descriptive epidemiological study in three biogeographic regions of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.
Tissues of 119 bats captured in preserved areas in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and Santa Catarina from 2014 to 2015 were submitted to molecular analysis using specific primers. Bartonella spp. was detected in 22 spleen samples (18.5%, 95% CI: 11.9-26.6), whose phylogenetic analysis revealed the generation of at least two independent clusters, suggesting that these may be new unique genotypes of Bartonella species. In addition, four samples (3.4%, 95% CI: 0.9-8.3) were positive for the htpAB gene of C. burnetii [spleen (2), liver (1) and heart (1)]. Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma and Ehrlichia were not identified. This is the first study reporting C. burnetii and Bartonella spp. infections in bats from the Atlantic Forest biome.
These findings shed light on potential host range for these bacteria, which are characterized as important zoonotic pathogens.
蝙蝠作为人畜共患病原体宿主的作用，尤其是巴尔通体和柯克斯体等致病细菌的宿主作用，已在全球范围内展开讨论。最近的研究已将蝙蝠确定为变形菌门物种的潜在宿主。然而，在巴西，蝙蝠在这些病原体自然传播周期中的作用却鲜有研究且普遍被忽视。为了分析蝙蝠在由巴尔通体、柯克斯体、立克次体、无形体和埃立克体引起的疾病流行病学中的作用，我们在巴西大西洋森林的三个生物地理区域开展了一项描述性流行病学研究。
2014年至2015年期间，在里约热内卢州、巴伊亚州和圣卡塔琳娜州的保护区捕获的119只蝙蝠的组织样本，使用特异性引物进行了分子分析。在22份脾脏样本中检测到巴尔通体属（18.5%，95%置信区间：11.9 - 26.6），其系统发育分析显示至少产生了两个独立的簇，这表明这些可能是巴尔通体属物种的新独特基因型。此外，4份样本（3.4%，95%置信区间：0.9 - 8.3）的伯氏考克斯氏体htpAB基因呈阳性[脾脏（2份）、肝脏（1份）和心脏（1份）]。未检测到立克次体属、无形体和埃立克体。这是首次报道大西洋森林生物群落中蝙蝠感染伯氏考克斯氏体和巴尔通体属的研究。
这些发现揭示了这些被视为重要人畜共患病原体的细菌的潜在宿主范围。
