Virulent Brucella nosferati infecting Desmodus rotundus has emerging potential due to the broad foraging range of its bat host for humans and wild and domestic animals.

Desmodus rotundus, vampire bats, transmit dangerous infections, and brucellosis is a hazardous zoonotic disease, two adversities that coexist in the subtropical and tropical areas of the American continent. Here, we report a 47.89% Brucella infection prevalence in a colony of vampire bats inhabiting the tropical rainforest of Costa Rica. The bacterium induced placentitis and fetal death in bats. Wide-range phenotypic and genotypic characterization placed the Brucella organisms as a new pathogenic species named Brucella nosferati sp. nov., isolated from bat tissues, including the salivary glands, suggesting feeding behavior might favor transmission to their prey. Overall analyses placed B. nosferati as the etiological agent of a reported canine brucellosis case, demonstrating its potential for infecting other hosts. To assess the putative prey hosts, we analyzed the intestinal contents of 14 infected and 23 non-infected bats by proteomics. A total of 54,508 peptides sorted into 7,203 unique peptides corresponding to 1,521 proteins were identified. Twenty-three wildlife and domestic taxa, including humans, were foraged by B. nosferati-infected D. rotundus, suggesting contact of this bacterium with a broad range of hosts. Our approach is appropriate for detecting, in a single study, the prey preferences of vampire bats in a diverse area, demonstrating its suitability for control strategies where vampire bats thrive. IMPORTANCE The discovery that a high proportion of vampire bats in a tropical area is infected with pathogenic Brucella nosferati and that bats forage on humans and many wild and domestic animals is relevant from the perspective of emerging disease prevention. Indeed, bats harboring B. nosferati in their salivary glands may transmit this pathogenic bacterium to other hosts. This potential is not trivial since, besides the demonstrated pathogenicity, this bacterium possesses all the required virulent arsenal of dangerous Brucella organisms, including those that are zoonotic for humans. Our work has settled the basis for future surveillance actions in brucellosis control programs where these infected bats thrive. Moreover, our strategy to identify the foraging range of bats may be adapted for exploring the feeding habits of diverse animals, including arthropod vectors of infectious diseases, and therefore of interest to a broader audience besides experts on Brucella and bats.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infections and associated factors in sheep from Costa Rica.

The presence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum were analyzed in 392 sheep sera from ten Costa Rican ovine flocks using indirect immuno-enzymatic assays. Additionally, general information about sheep management, environment, and clinical reproductive disorders was assessed through a questionnaire to inquire factors related to these apicomplexan parasites. A total of 161 (41.1%) serum samples reacted positive to T. gondii, 43 (10.9%) to N. caninum and 26 (6.63%) to both parasites. Toxoplasma gondii serorreactors were detected in all the analyzed flocks (100.0%), meanwhile N. caninum antibodies were found in nine flocks (90%), from the six Costa Rican regions. Factors associated with T. gondii were the co-presence of cattle (OR = 5.06; C.I.95%; 2.08-12.30; p: <0.001), grey foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and opossums (Didelphis marsupialis) (OR = 2.44; C.I.95%; 1.50-3.95; p: <0.001) inside or around the farms, and the presence of peccaries (Tayassu sp.) (OR = 0.35; C.I.95%; 0.16-0.74; p: 0.0058) was a variable associated with N. caninum seropositivity. The obtained results of T. gondii and N. caninum infections in sheep flocks from Costa Rica should be considered for the proper prevention and control strategies against these apicomplexan abortive parasites.

Brucellosis in mammals of Costa Rica: An epidemiological survey.

Brucellosis has been an endemic disease of cattle and humans in Costa Rica since the beginning of XX century. However, brucellosis in sheep, goats, pigs, water buffaloes, horses and cetaceans, has not been reported in the country. We have performed a brucellosis survey in these host mammal species, from 1999-2016. In addition, we have documented the number of human brucellosis reported cases, from 2003-2016. The brucellosis seroprevalence in goat and sheep herds was 0.98% and 0.7% respectively, with no Brucella isolation. Antibodies against Brucella were not detected in feral or domestic pigs. Likewise, brucellosis seroprevalence in horse and water buffalo farms was estimated in 6.5% and 21.7%, respectively, with no Brucella isolation. Six cetacean species showed positive reactions against Brucella antigens, and B. ceti was isolated in 70% (n = 29) of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). A steady increase in the diagnosis of human brucellosis cases was observed. Taking into account the prevalence of brucellosis in the various host mammals of Costa Rica, different measures are recommended.