Molecular investigation of zoonotic intracellular bacteria in Chilean bats.
Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis
; 73: 101541, 2020 Dec.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32911380
ABSTRACT
Intracellular pathogens were investigated for the first time in 55 Chilean bats belonging to six species. Using a conventional PCR protocol targeting a fragment of the ITS region, 21 bats (38 %) were positive for DNA of Bartonella sp. Molecular characterization of fragments of the gltA, rpoB and fstZ genes and subsequent phylogenetic analysis indicated the presence of diverse genotypes related to Bartonella from bats worldwide. DNA from C. burnetii was investigated using a real-time PCR (qPCR) protocol targeting the IS1111 gene and yielded positive results for 5 individuals (9%), being the first report of C. burnetii in wildlife in Chile. All bats were negative for Rickettsia sp., evaluated by qPCR for the gltA gene, confirming that bats do not act as important reservoirs for Rickettsia. This preliminary survey calls for more comprehensive studies on the epidemiology of these agents, including larger sample sizes, the evaluation of potential transmission routes and spillover potential.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Bartonella
/
Bartonella Infections
/
Zoonoses
/
Chiroptera
Limits:
Animals
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
America do sul
/
Chile
Language:
En
Journal:
Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: