Matiz-González J Manuel, Silva-Ramos Carlos Ramiro, Herrera-Sepúlveda María T, Patiño Luz Helena, Ramírez Juan David, Mateus Jose, Pavia Paula X, Miguel Pinto C, Pérez-Torres Jairo, Cuervo Claudia
Grupo de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia; Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.
Grupo de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
Int J Parasitol. 2025 Apr;55(5):253-261. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2025.01.005. Epub 2025 Jan 19.
Bats play crucial roles in various ecosystems including caves. Although the presence of trypanosomatid species in bats has been documented in Colombia, their diversity in cave-dwelling bats remains unclear. This study aimed to characterize the frequency and diversity of protists from the family Trypanosomatidae circulating in bats from the Macaregua cave ecosystem in Santander, Colombia. A total of 112 specimens from the three permanently residing bat species were examined for trypanosomatid presence through the amplification and sequencing of a region of the 18S rRNA gene in blood samples. We report an overall trypanosomatid detection rate of 42.9% (n = 48), involving the three evaluated bat species: Carollia perspicillata (19/43, 44.2%), Natalus tumidirostris (17/39, 43.6%), and Mormoops megalophylla (12/30, 40.0%). The trypanosomatids were classified by amplicon sequencing and phylogenetic analysis as Trypanosoma spp. (33/112, 29.5%), Leishmania spp. (8/112, 7.1%), and Crithidia spp. (9/112, 8%). In addition, two individuals simultaneously carried more than one genus: Trypanosoma and Leishmania (MT087, C. perspicillata), and Trypanosoma and Crithidia (MT120, M. megalophylla). Some of the samples positive for trypanosomatids were characterized at the species level using the same method with the Cytochrome B gene, identifying Trypanosoma cruzi cruzi (TcI-III and TcBat), Trypanosoma cruzi marinkellei, and Leishmania braziliensis in the evaluated bats. We describe the presence of pathogenic trypanosomatids (T. cruzi cruzi, T. cruzi marinkellei, and L. braziliensis), as well as monoxenous trypanosomatids such as Crithidia spp. as the Trypanosomatidae protists carried by bats in cave ecosystems from Colombia. The discussion on how bats become infected by these parasites and their potential role in wild transmission cycles is provided below.
蝙蝠在包括洞穴在内的各种生态系统中发挥着关键作用。尽管哥伦比亚已记录到蝙蝠体内存在锥虫科物种，但穴居蝙蝠体内此类物种的多样性仍不清楚。本研究旨在描述哥伦比亚桑坦德省马卡雷瓜洞穴生态系统中蝙蝠体内循环的锥虫科原生生物的频率和多样性。通过对血样中18S rRNA基因区域进行扩增和测序，对三种常年栖息的蝙蝠物种的总共112个样本进行了锥虫检测。我们报告的总体锥虫检测率为42.9%（n = 48），涉及三种评估的蝙蝠物种：苍白矛吻蝠（19/43，44.2%）、膨鼻墓蝠（17/39，43.6%）和大耳假吸血蝠（12/30，40.0%）。通过扩增子测序和系统发育分析，这些锥虫被分类为锥虫属（33/112，29.5%）、利什曼原虫属（8/112，7.1%）和克氏锥虫属（9/112，8%）。此外，有两个个体同时携带不止一个属：锥虫属和利什曼原虫属（MT087，苍白矛吻蝠），以及锥虫属和克氏锥虫属（MT120，大耳假吸血蝠）。使用相同方法对细胞色素B基因进行检测，在部分锥虫检测呈阳性的样本中鉴定出了克氏锥虫（TcI - III和TcBat）、马氏锥虫以及巴西利什曼原虫。我们描述了致病锥虫（克氏锥虫、马氏锥虫和巴西利什曼原虫）以及诸如克氏锥虫属等单宿主锥虫在哥伦比亚洞穴生态系统蝙蝠体内携带的锥虫科原生生物的情况。下文将讨论蝙蝠如何感染这些寄生虫以及它们在野生传播循环中的潜在作用。
