Lima Mariana Alves, Vaz Marcela Elisa, Ferreira Jennifer Emanuelle, Lima Ana Cristina Vianna Mariano da Rocha, Capucci Débora Cristina, Talamoni Sônia Aparecida, Dutra-Rêgo Felipe, Andrade Filho José Dilermando
Leishmaniasis Group, René Rachou Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Graduate Program in Biodiversity and Environment, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
PLoS One. 2025 Mar 17;20(3):e0319781. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319781. eCollection 2025.
Trypanosomatids are obligate flagellated parasites, with the genera Leishmania and Trypanosoma acting as etiological agents of significant diseases such as leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. Although ecological studies have increasingly highlighted the role of bats as potential reservoirs of these parasites, the diversity of trypanosomatids in urban bat populations remains poorly understood. This study investigates the occurrence and diversity of Trypanosomatidae in bats from Mangabeiras Municipal Park (MMP), an urban park in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a region of ecological interest due to the prior detection of Leishmania in sand flies. A total of 56 bats representing seven species were captured, and 149 biological samples (blood, tissues, and organs) were analyzed using NNN/LIT culture medium. Contamination was reported in 32.2% of the samples, while 67.8% yielded negative results with no growth of trypanosomatids. Detection of trypanosomatids was achieved using the V7V8 Nested-PCR technique, revealing positive results in nine bats: Artibeus lituratus (Leishmania infantum, Trypanosoma sp. Neobat 3), Anoura caudifer (Trypanosoma sp. Neobat 4), Carollia perspicillata and Glossophaga soricina (Leishmania infantum), Sturnira lilium (Trypanosoma sp. Neobat 3), and Platyrrhinus lineatus (mixed infection with Leishmania infantum and Leishmania braziliensis). The integrity of the extracted DNA was confirmed through the amplification of cytb and gamma-actin genes. By expanding knowledge of trypanosomatid diversity in urban bats, this study highlights the ecological and epidemiological relevance of bats as hosts and underscores the need for targeted surveillance to assess their role in pathogen transmission dynamics.
锥虫是专性鞭毛虫寄生虫，利什曼原虫属和锥虫属是严重疾病如利什曼病和恰加斯病的病原体。尽管生态学研究越来越多地强调蝙蝠作为这些寄生虫潜在宿主的作用，但城市蝙蝠种群中锥虫的多样性仍知之甚少。本研究调查了巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州贝洛奥里藏特市的曼加贝拉斯城市公园（MMP）蝙蝠体内锥虫科的发生情况和多样性，由于此前在白蛉中检测到利什曼原虫，该地区具有生态研究意义。共捕获了代表7个物种的56只蝙蝠，并使用NNN/LIT培养基对149份生物样本（血液、组织和器官）进行了分析。32.2%的样本报告有污染，而67.8%的样本结果为阴性，未检测到锥虫生长。使用V7V8巢式PCR技术检测到了锥虫，在9只蝙蝠中呈阳性结果：棕果蝠（婴儿利什曼原虫、新蝙蝠锥虫3型）、长尾蝠（新蝙蝠锥虫4型）、短尾果蝠和长舌叶口蝠（婴儿利什曼原虫）、小黄肩蝠（新蝙蝠锥虫3型）和线纹扁鼻蝠（婴儿利什曼原虫和巴西利什曼原虫混合感染）。通过扩增细胞色素b和γ-肌动蛋白基因确认了提取DNA的完整性。通过扩展对城市蝙蝠中锥虫多样性的认识，本研究强调了蝙蝠作为宿主的生态和流行病学相关性，并强调需要进行有针对性的监测，以评估它们在病原体传播动态中的作用。
