Bartonella and Rickettsia Infections in Haematophagous Spinturnix myoti Mites (Acari: Mesostigmata) and their Bat Host, Myotis myotis (Yangochiroptera: Vespertilionidae), from Poland

Agnieszka Szubert-Kruszyńska,Tomasz Postawa,Stella Cieniuch,Jerzy Michalik,Edyta Podsiadły,Joanna Stańczak

doi:10.1007/s00248-018-1246-5

Abstract

Hematophagous Spinturnix myoti mites and their host, the greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis), were tested for the presence of Bartonella spp., Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In total, Bartonella spp. DNA was amplified in 28% of 134 mite pools and in 25% of 59 bats tested by PCR targeting a fragment of citrate synthase gltA gen. Adult mites were at least threefold more frequently infected compared to immature stages. The overall infection prevalence among mite pools from cave-dwelling bats was higher than for those collected from attic shelters. Three distinct genotypes were detected. The most prevalent genotype in mites and bats matched closely with Candidatus Bartonella hemsundetiensis identified in bats from Finland and was relatively distant from bat-borne Bartonella strains described in the UK and France. Importantly, most sequences were close to those reported in forest workers from Poland. The presence of identical genotype among S. myoti samples and M. myotis bats suggests that bartonellae can be shared between mites and their bat hosts. In this case, wing mites could serve as vectors, whereas their hosts as reservoirs. One blood sample was positive by PCR for the msp2 gene of A. phagocytophilum. Two mite pools yielded Rickettsia spp. DNA. Both sequences were distinct from any known species but can be classified as spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. Our findings expanded our knowledge on the role of spinturnicid mites in the ecology and epidemiology of bacterial infections associated with vespertilionid bats, especially regarding the genus Bartonella.

Highlights

In the ecology and epidemiology of vector-borne zoonotic diseases, it is essential to identify (i) a group of vertebrateMites of the family Spinturnicidae (Acari, Mesostigmata) belong to the most abundantly and regularly recorded non-tick acarines associated with bats from the suborder Yangochiroptera and with two families (Rhinopomatidae, Rhinolophidae) from the suborder Yinpterochiroptera, AsSzubert-Kruszyńska A. et al.permanent ectoparasites exhibit high host specificity completing their entire life cycle on one or a few closely related bat species [2, 3], they infest only bare fragments of bat’s skin like wing and tail membranes and are called wing mites
The presence of bartonellae in S. myoti mites was previously reported in a survey conducted in Hungary, in which each of the three pools tested by TaqMan PCR yielded Bartonella spp. [9]
The infection prevalence in mites sampled in our study varied depending on a developmental stage and a shelter type of their hosts

Summary

Introduction

Mites of the family Spinturnicidae (Acari, Mesostigmata) belong to the most abundantly and regularly recorded non-tick acarines associated with bats from the suborder Yangochiroptera and with two families (Rhinopomatidae, Rhinolophidae) from the suborder Yinpterochiroptera, As. permanent ectoparasites (without free-living stages) exhibit high host specificity completing their entire life cycle on one or a few closely related bat species [2, 3], they infest only bare fragments of bat’s skin like wing and tail membranes and are called wing mites. Permanent ectoparasites (without free-living stages) exhibit high host specificity completing their entire life cycle on one or a few closely related bat species [2, 3], they infest only bare fragments of bat’s skin like wing and tail membranes and are called wing mites Their reproduction period is strictly synchronized with the breeding cycle of the host. DNA in Spinturnix myoti pools obtained from three Myotis myotis bats in Hungary

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