Wide Distribution and Diversity of Malaria-Related Haemosporidian Parasites (Polychromophilus spp.) in Bats and Their Ectoparasites in Eastern Europe

Microorganisms

Áron Péter¹  Alexandra Corduneanu¹  AttilaD. Sándor¹  Zsuzsa Kalmár¹  AndreiD. Mihalca¹  Levente Barti¹  Sándor Hornok²  István Csősz³  Jenő Kontschán⁴ 

[1] Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, RO-400036 Cluj Napoca, Romania;Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary;Myotis Bat Conservation Group, RO-530171 Miercurea Ciuc, Romania;Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, ELKH, H- 1022 Budapest, Hungary;

关键词: Chiroptera;    Ixodidae;    Nycteribiidae;    pathogens;    Plasmodiidae;   

DOI  :  10.3390/microorganisms9020230

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Malaria is responsible for major diseases of humans, while associated haemosporidians are important factors in regulating wildlife populations. Polychromophilus, a haemosporidian parasite of bats, is phylogenetically close to human-pathogenic Plasmodium species, and their study may provide further clues for understanding the evolutionary relationships between vertebrates and malarial parasites. Our aim was to investigate the distribution of Polychromophilus spp. in Eastern Europe and test the importance of host ecology and roost site on haemosporidian parasite infection of bats. We sampled bats and their ectoparasites at eight locations in Romania and Bulgaria. DNA was extracted from blood samples and ectoparasites and tested individually for the presence of DNA of Polychromophilus spp. using a nested PCR targeting a 705 bp fragment of cytB. Two species of Polychromophilus were identified: Po. melanipherus in Miniopterus schreibersii and associated ectoparasites and Po. murinus in rhinolophid and vespertilionid bats (6 species) and their ticks and nycteribiid flies. Only cave-dwelling bat species (and their ectoparasites) showed infections, and we found a strong correlation between infections with Polychromophilus parasites and Nycteribiidae prevalence. We report the high genetic diversity of Polychromophilus spp. in Eastern Europe, suggesting that the simultaneous presence of varied host and vector assemblages enhances bat haemosporidian parasite diversity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown