Genetic diversity of Bartonella spp. among cave-dwelling bats from Colombia.

Bartonella is a bacterial genus that comprises arthropod-borne microorganisms. Several Bartonella isolates have been detected from bats worldwide, which are thought to be undescribed species. We aimed to test the presence of Bartonella spp. among bats from Colombia, and evaluate the genetic diversity of bat-associated Bartonella spp. through phylogenetic analyses. A total of 108 bat blood samples were collected from three bat species (Carollia perspicillata, Mormoops megalophylla, and Natalus tumidirostris) that inhabit the Macaregua cave. The Bartonella ssrA gene was targeted through real-time and end-point PCR; additionally, the gltA and rpoB genes were detected by end-point PCR. All obtained amplicons were purified and bidirectionally sequenced for phylogenetic analysis using a concatenated supermatrix and a supertree approaches. A detection frequency of 49.1 % (53/108) for Bartonella spp. was evidenced among bat blood samples, of which 59.1 % (26/44), 54.3 % (19/35) and 27.6 % (8/29) were identified in Carollia perspicillata, Natalus tumidirostris and Mormoops megalophylla respectively. A total of 35 ssrA, 5 gltA and 4 rpoB good-quality sequences were obtained which were used for phylogenetic analysis. All obtained bat sequences clustered together with sequences obtained from Neotropical bat species into two bat-restricted clades namely clade A and clade N. We detected the presence of Bartonella spp. that clustered within two different bat-associated Bartonella clades, giving the first data of the genetic diversity of these bacteria among bats from Colombia.

Genetic diversity of P1/pathogenic Leptospira species hosted by bats worldwide.

INTRODUCTION: Bats are a diverse group of mammals that have unique features allowing them to act as reservoir hosts for several zoonotic pathogens such as Leptospira. Leptospires have been classified into pathogenic, intermediate, and saprophytic groups and more recently into clades P1, P2, S1, and S2, being all the most important pathogenic species related to leptospirosis included within the P1/pathogenic clade. Leptospira has been detected from bats in several regions worldwide; however, the diversity of leptospires harboured by bats is still unknown. AIM: The aim of the present study was to determine the genetic diversity of Leptospira spp. harboured by bats worldwide. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted on four databases to retrieve studies in which Leptospira was detected from bats. All studies were screened to retrieve all available Leptospira spp. 16S rRNA sequences from the GenBank database and data regarding their origin. Sequences obtained were compared with each other and reference sequences of Leptospira species and analysed through phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 418 Leptospira spp. 16S rRNA sequences isolated from 55 bat species from 14 countries were retrieved from 15 selected manuscripts. From these, 417 sequences clustered within the P1/pathogenic group, and only one sequence clustered within the P2/intermediate group. Six major clades of P1/pathogenic Leptospira spp. were identified, three of them composed exclusively of sequences obtained from bats. CONCLUSION: We identified that bats harbour a great genetic diversity of Leptospira spp. that form part of the P1/pathogenic clade, some of which are closely related to leptospirosis-associated species. This finding contributes to the knowledge of the diversity of leptospires hosted by bats worldwide and reinforces the role of bats as reservoirs of P1/pathogenic Leptospira spp.

Species delimitation of the North American orchard-spider Leucauge venusta (Walckenaer, 1841) (Araneae, Tetragnathidae).

The orchard spider, Leucauge venusta (Walckenaer, 1841) is one of the most common and abundant orb-weavers in North America. This species has a broad geographic distribution extending across tropical and temperate regions of the Americas from Canada to Brazil. Guided by a preliminary observation of the barcode gap between sequences from specimens of L. venusta collected in Florida and other North American localities, we collected across a transect through the southeastern USA to investigate the observed genetic divide. The dataset, complemented with additional samples from Mexico, and Brazil was analyzed for species delimitation using STACEY and bGMYC based on sequences from one nuclear (ITS2) and one mitochondrial marker (COI). The analyses clearly separate USA samples into two deeply divergent and geographically structured groups (north-south) which we interpret as two different species. We generated ecological niche models for these two groups rejecting a niche equivalence hypothesis for these lineages. Taxonomic changes are proposed based on these findings, Leucauge venusta is restricted to denote the northern clade, and its known distribution restricted to the USA. Leucauge argyrobapta (White, 1841) is removed from synonymy to denote the populations in Florida, Mexico and Brazil. Although the delimitation analyses suggest each of these geographic clusters within the L. argyrobapta samples represent different species, more specimens from Central and South America are needed to properly test the cohesion of L. argyrobapta populations.