Abstract
Even though hemotrophic mycoplasma (hemoplasma) infections are well documented in a wide variety of hosts worldwide, there is a gap in the knowledge aobut hemoplasmas in rodents. This study aimed to molecularly survey and investigate the genetic diversity of hemoplasmas in rodents from Chile. Synanthropic and wild rodents (n = 74) were captured in the southern province of Valdivia (Corral, Valdivia, Riñihue, and Reumén localities). Spleen samples were submitted to a conventional PCR for hemotrophic Mycoplasma spp. targeting the 16S rRNA gene (800 bp), followed by sequencing, phylogenetic, and genetic diversity analyses. The overall occurrence of hemotrophic mycoplasmas in rodents from Valdivia was 24.5% (18/74) [95% CI (14.5; 34.1)]. Hemoplasmas were detected in Mus musculus (1/4), Rattus norvegicus (1/16), Abrothrix longipilis (7/13), A. olivaceo (6/8), and Oligoryzomys longicaudatus (3/10). The nucleotide polymorphism analysis of the targeted 16S rRNA region showed low diversity, with two genotypes and a high identity to the variants detected in wild rodents from Brazil. Hemoplasmas are described for the first time in rodents from Chile with a moderate occurrence and low 16S rDNA genetic diversity within the sampled rodent population. The detected hemoplasma genotypes were specific to rodents and were not shared with other mammals.
Highlights
Hemotrophic mycoplasmas, known as hemoplasmas, are Gram-negative, uncultivable pleomorphic bacteria that lack a cell wall and belong to the genus Mycoplasma, Mollicutes Class [1,2]Hemoplasmas are cocci that attach to the surface of red blood cells [3,4]
An overall proportion of 24.5% (18/74) [95% Confidence Interval (CI) (14.5–34.1%)] of the rodents were positive for hemoplasmas based on PCR assays targeting 16S rRNA gene
Bats were incriminated as the ancestral hosts of all mammal-related Bartonella [82] and appear to be responsible for the early geographic expansion and diversification of the genus. This could be the case for hemoplasmas and further investigation is required in this field. This is the first report of hemoplasmas in synanthropic and wild rodents from Chile
Summary
Hemoplasmas are cocci that attach to the surface of red blood cells [3,4] Their pathogenicity can range, depending on the hemoplasma and mammalian host species, from acutely life-threatening haemolytic. Their pathogenicity can Microorganisms 2020, 8, 1493 range, depending on the hemoplasma and mammalian host species, from acutely life-threatening haemolytic anemia to chronic infection with no apparent clinical manifestation [5,6,7,8]. New Rodentia hemoplasma genotypes were described in wild animals worldwide is the most diversified and widespread order of mammals.[9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21]. In worldwide the last decade, several decade, new hemoplasma genotypes described in wild [5,6,7,8]. animals [9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21].
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