Abstract
Trypanosoma comprises flagellates able to infect several mammalian species and is transmitted by several groups of invertebrates. The order Chiroptera can be infected by the subgenera Herpetosoma, Schizotrypanum, Megatrypanum and Trypanozoon. In this study, we described the diversity of bat trypanosomes and inferred phylogenetic relationships among the trypanosomes from bats caught in Tapajós-Arapiuns Extractive Reserve (Resex) in Pará state. Trypanosomes from bats were isolated by means of hemoculture, and the molecular phylogeny was based on the trypanosome barcode (SSUrDNA V7V8 variable region). A total of 111 bats were caught in the area, belonging to three families (Emballonuridae, Molossidae and Phyllostomidae) and 12 species. The bat trypanosome prevalence, as evaluated through hemoculture, was 9% all positive cultures were cryopreserve (100% of isolation success). Phylogenetic trees grouped nine isolates in T. cruzi marinkellei branch and only one in T. dionisii branch. Studies on bat trypanosome diversity are important for identifying pathogenic species and for generating support for control measures, especially in such areas where humans inhabit the forest with close contact with bat species. In addition, this is the first study in Resex Tapajós-Arapiuns extractive reserve and further studies should be conducted to elucidate the role of these parasites as environmental degradation biomarkers.
Highlights
The genus Trypanosoma comprises protozoan flagellates that are able to infect several vertebrate species and are transmitted by several groups of invertebrates
We described the diversity of bat trypanosomes and inferred phylogenetic relationships among the trypanosomes from bats caught in Tapajós-Arapiuns Extractive Reserve (Resex) in Pará state
The biomes with the highest prevalences of bat trypanosomes in Brazil are the Amazon biome with 45.2% according to microhematocrit and hemoculture (CAVAZZANA et al, 2010) and the Amazon/Cerrado biome with 15.5% according to hemoculture (MARCILI et al, 2013)
Summary
The genus Trypanosoma comprises protozoan flagellates that are able to infect several vertebrate species and are transmitted by several groups of invertebrates. More than 30 trypanosome species belonging to the subgenera Herpetosoma, Schizotrypanum, Megatrypanum and Trypanozoon have been described in bats (order Chiroptera) (HOARE, 1972; MARINKELLE, 1976). T. erneyi and T. livingstonei from African bats and T. teixeirae from flying fox in Australia were described and positioned in phylogenetic trees (LIMA et al, 2012, 2013; BARBOSA et al, 2016). The subgenus Schizotrypanum comprises the species Trypanosoma erneyi and T. dionisii, which only infect bats, and T. cruzi marinkellei, which has the ability to infect many orders of mammals (MARINKELLE, 1976; LIMA et al, 2012)
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