Detection of ectoparasites and investigation of infection by Rickettsia spp. and Trypanosoma spp. in bats from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

This study aimed to investigate the presence of ectoparasites and the occurrence of natural infection by Rickettsia spp. and Trypanosoma spp. in bats from Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. The evaluated animals were obtained from the Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor, sent by the Centro Estadual de Vigilância Sanitária, to carry out rabies diagnostic tests, during the period from 2016 to 2021. The bats came from 34 municipalities in RS. Of the 109 animals surveyed, 35.8% (39/109) had 385 ectoparasites, with an average of 9.9 parasites per animal. Of these bats, all had insectivorous feeding habits, with 35.9% (14/39) females and 64.1% (25/39) males. The co-parasitism of Chirnyssoides sp., Ewingana inaequalis, and Chiroptonyssus robustipes on Molossus currentium (Mammalia, Chiroptera) was recorded for the first time. All bats surveyed were negative for infection by the protozoan and bacteria. Thus, the expansion of the occurrence of these ectoparasites in insectivorous bats in RS was observed. Furthermore, this study corresponds to the first recorded interspecific associations for the species.

Northern fowl mite (Ornithonyssus sylviarum) in Sweden.

Haematophagous mites were collected from the vent region and plumage of chickens in six hobby flocks of ornamental breeds in Sweden, one of which included turkeys. Soiled vent skin and feathers, dermatitis, hyperkeratosis, skin necroses and ulcers were observed in 12 necropsied birds from two of the flocks. The mites were identified as the northern fowl mite Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae). This was supported by sequence analysis of a 642-bp region in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene (COI) in mites collected from five flocks, which showed 97-99% sequence similarity to O. sylviarum by blast analysis. Pairwise sequence comparisons revealed nucleotide variations in the range of 0-2.8%, whereas amino acid sequences were highly conserved. This paper represents one of very few records of O. sylviarum in European poultry, and is the first to report COI sequence data for O. sylviarum from poultry in Europe.

Molecular detection of Bartonella spp. in bat-associated macronyssid mites (Acari: Macronyssidae) from Southern and Southeastern Brazil.

Despite the worldwide occurrence and high genetic diversity of Bartonella spp. in bats, few studies investigate their occurrence in bat-associated mites. To date, 26 species of Macronyssidae mite species have been reported from Brazil, and 15 of which were found parasitizing bats. The present study aimed to investigate the presence of Bartonella DNA in bat-associated macronyssid mites from Brazil. For this purpose, 393 macronyssid specimens were selected by convenience from the tissue bank of the Acari Collection of the Instituto Butantan (IBSP). These mites were collected from 14 different bat species in three different Brazilian States (Minas Gerais, Paraná, and Rio de Janeiro). Out of 165 mites positive in the PCR for the endogenous 18S rRNA gene, only eight were positive in the qPCR for Bartonella spp. based on the nuoG gene, and we were able to obtain two sequences base in this same gene, and one sequence based on the 16S rRNA gene. The phylogenetic inference based on the nuoG gene grouped the obtained sequences with Bartonella genotypes previously detected in bats and associated bat flies, while the phylogeny based on the 16S rRNA grouped the obtained sequence in the same clade of Bartonella genotypes previously detected in Dermanyssus gallinae. These findings suggest that macronyssid mites might be associated with the maintenance of bartonellae among bats.

Characterization of the bacterial microbiome of non-hematophagous bats and associated ectoparasites from Brazil.

Introduction: Bats, along with their ectoparasites, harbor a wide diversity of symbiotic and potential pathogenic bacteria. Despite the enormous diversity of bats (181 species), few studies aimed to investigate the bacterial microbiome of Brazilian chiropterans and associated ectoparasites. This study aimed to characterize the bacterial microbiome of non-hematophagous bats and associated Streblidae flies and Macronyssidae and Spinturnicidae mites in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, midwestern Brazil. Methods: Oral and rectal swabs were collected from 30 bats (Artibeus lituratus [n = 13], Artibeus planirostris [n = 9], Eptesicus furinalis [n = 5], Carollia perspicillata [n = 2], and Platyrrhinus lineatus [n = 1]). In addition, a total of 58 mites (15 Macronyssidae and 43 Spinturnicidae) and 48 Streblidae bat flies were collected from the captured bats. After DNA extraction and purification, each sample's bacterial composition was analyzed with metagenomic sequencing. Results: The microbiome composition of both oral and rectal bat swab samples showed that Gammaproteobacteria was the most abundant bacterial class. Spiroplasma, Wolbachia and Bartonella represented the most abundant genera in Streblidae flies. While Wolbachia (Alphaproteobacteria) was the most abundant genus found in Spinturnicidae, Arsenophonus (Gammaproteobacteria) was found in high abundance in Macronyssidae mites. In addition to characterizing the microbiome of each sample at the class and genus taxonomic levels, we identified medically significant bacteria able to infect both animals and humans in oral (Streptococcus and Anaplasma) and rectal swabs (Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Enterococcus, Streptococcus), Macronyssidae (Anaplasma, Bartonella, Ehrlichia) and Spinturnicidae (Anaplasma, Bartonella) mites as well as Streblidae flies (Spiroplasma, Bartonella). Discussion and conclusion: Besides expanding the knowledge on the bacterial microbiome of non-hematophagous bats and Streblidae flies from Brazil, the present work showed, for the first time, the bacterial community of bat-associated Macronyssidae and Spinturnicidae mites.

Molecular and Morphological Identification of Dermanyssoid Mites (Parasitiformes: Mesostigmata: Dermanyssoidea) Causatives of a Parasitic Outbreak on Captive Snakes.

A parasitic outbreak caused by dermanyssoid mites in a herpetarium of the Metropolitan area of the Valley of Mexico is revealed. This outbreak was caused by Hemilaelaps triangulus (Ewing), but a second mite species, Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais), was found in low abundance. The parasitic load is analyzed, and the morphological and molecular diagnostic characters to identify each of the two species involved are given. A barcode analysis is presented, and two more molecular markers are presented and analyzed. Hemilaelaps triangulus is recorded for the first time in Mexico, and this is the first record of massive infestation on captive snakes caused by ixodorhynchid mites, and DNA sequences of ixodorhynchid mites are publicly available for the first time.

Two New Species and New Records of Mites of the Genus Parichoronyssus (Acari: Macronyssidae) From South American Bats (Chiroptera), With a Key to the Known Species of the Genus.

Derived from exhaustive search of mites of the genus Parichoronyssus associated with South American Bats, we found two new species associated with Phyllostomid, Emballonurid, and Noctiniolid bats: Parichoronyssus alexanderfaini n. sp. associated with Rhinophylla pumilio Peters; Parichoronyssus gettingeri n. sp. associated with Rhynchonycteris naso Wied-Newied, and Noctilio leporinus Linneo. Herein we give the description of those new species, and additionally is included several new records for Parichoronyssus from the region, as well as providing a key to the 11 species of Parichoronyssus.

Mesostigmatid mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) at the domestic-wildlife interface: Poultry and passerine birds of central Argentina.

Wild birds may be considered a possible source of parasitic mesostigmatid mites for poultry, but only few studies explored this hypothesis. In addition, there is very little information about the parasitic mites present in commercial poultry systems from southern South America. To contribute with data on parasitic mesostigmatid mites at the domestic-wildlife interface, we conducted a study in which samples were systematically collected from laying hens and wild birds (adults and nestlings), for two years at three commercial laying hen farms. The occurrence of mesostigmatid mites were compared among hosts. A proportion of the collected mites were morphologically identified to the species level, finding that host preference varied greatly depending on mite species: laying hens were only parasitized by Ornithonyssus sylviarum, wild bird nestlings were mostly parasitized by Ornithonyssus bursa, and in small proportion, by O. sylviarum, while adult passerines were parasitized by both Ornithonyssus species, and sporadically by Pellonyssus cf. reedi and Dermanyssus cf. triscutatus. In laying hens, there was intra- and inter-annual variability in mite occurrence, but no consistent seasonal pattern, whereas in adult wild birds, mites showed the highest prevalence in spring and the lowest in summer. Not coinciding with this general pattern, the occurrence of O. bursa matched the reproductive activity of wild birds. A phylogenetic analysis based on a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene was carried out for a subsample of the mites collected, showing that the O. sylviarum mites present on adult wild birds and laying hens had the same haplotype (100% identity). Additionally, mites obtained from wild birds morphologically identified as O. bursa presented two distinctive haplotypes (89.8% identity), one phylogenetically related to O. sylviarum and the other to O. monteiroi. These findings show that in central Argentina commercial laying hens are parasitized mainly by O. sylviarum while wild birds are also hosts to other mite species. Adult wild passerines, especially house sparrows, may be a source of O. sylviarum for commercial poultry.

The first finding of parasitic mite, Parasteatonyssus nyctinomi (Mesostigmata: Gamasina: Macronyssidae), in Namibia.

Sixty-four individuals of a macronyssid mite, Parasteatonyssus nyctinomi (Zumpt, Patterson 1951), were identified from Egyptian free-tailed bats Tadarida aegyptiaca (É. Geoffroy 1818) (Chiroptera: Molossidae) captured in the Kunene region of Namibia (southern Africa). This is the first report on P. nyctinomi in the country.

A review of the biology, ecology, and control of the northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Acari: Macronyssidae).

The northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini & Fanzago, 1877), is found on several continents and has been a major pest of poultry in the United States for nearly a century. Lack of earlier USA reports in the United States suggests an introduction or change to pest status in domestic poultry systems occurred in the early 1900s. Though predominantly a nest-parasite of wild birds, this obligate hematophagous mite is a permanent ectoparasite on domestic birds, especially egg-laying chickens. Economic damage is incurred by direct blood feeding and activation of the of host's immune responses. This in turn causes decreased egg production and feed conversion efficiency, and severe infestations can cause anemia or death to birds. Here we review the biology, ecology, and recent control measures for the northern fowl mite. Photomicrographs are included of adult males and females, protonymphs, and larvae with key characters indicated. Special emphasis is placed on current knowledge gaps of basic and applied science importance.