Rickettsia spp. in bats of Romania: high prevalence of Rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat species

Ioana A Matei,Angela Monica Ionică,Andrei Daniel Mihalca,Zsuzsa Kalmár,Alexandra Corduneanu,Cosmina Bouari,Talida Ivan,Ionel Papuc,Nicodim Fit,Attila D Sándor,Luciana Panait

doi:10.1186/s13071-021-04592-x

Abstract

BackgroundSpotted fever group rickettsiae represent one of the most diverse groups of vector-borne bacteria, with several human pathogenic species showing an emerging trend worldwide. Most species are vectored by ticks (Ixodidae), with many zoonotic reservoir species among most terrestrial vertebrate groups. While the reservoir competence of many different vertebrate species is well known (e.g. birds, rodents and dogs), studies on insectivorous bats have been rarely performed despite their high species diversity, ubiquitous urban presence and importance in harboring zoonotic disease agents. Romania has a high diversity and ubiquity of bats. Moreover, seven out of eight SFG rickettsiae species with zoonotic potential were previously reported in Romania. Based on this, the aim of this study was to detect Rickettsia species in tissue samples in bats.MethodsHere we report a large-scale study (322 bats belonging to 20 species) on the presence of Rickettsia spp. in Romanian bat species. Tissue samples from insectivorous bats were tested for the presence of Rickettsia DNA using PCR detection amplifying a 381 bp fragment of the gltA gene. Positive results were sequenced to confirm the results. The obtained results were statistically analyzed by chi-squared independence test.ResultsPositive results were obtained in 14.6% of bat samples. Sequence analysis confirmed the presence of R. monacensis in two bat species (Nyctalus noctula and Pipistrellus pipistrellus) in two locations.ConclusionThis study provides the first evidence of a possible involvement of these bat species in the epidemiology of Rickettsia spp., highlighting the importance of bats in natural cycles of these vector-borne pathogens.Graphical

Highlights

Spotted fever group rickettsiae represent one of the most diverse groups of vector-borne bacteria, with several human pathogenic species showing an emerging trend worldwide
Sequence analysis confirmed the presence of R. monacensis in two bat species (Nyctalus noctula and Pipistrellus pipistrellus) in two locations
Positive samples were detected in Nyctalus noctula (22 out of 188 tested), Pipistrellus pipistrellus (13 out of 55 tested), Myotis alcathoe (5 out of 12 tested), P. nathusii (4 out of 25 tested), Plecotus auritus (1 out of 6 tested), Vespertilio murinus (1 out of 4 tested) and P. pygmaeus (1 out of 2 tested) from five different locations (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Spotted fever group rickettsiae represent one of the most diverse groups of vector-borne bacteria, with several human pathogenic species showing an emerging trend worldwide. Most species are vectored by ticks (Ixodidae), with many zoonotic reservoir species among most terrestrial vertebrate groups. While the reservoir competence of many different vertebrate species is well known (e.g. birds, rodents and dogs), studies on insectivorous bats have been rarely performed despite their high species diversity, ubiquitous urban presence and importance in harboring zoonotic disease agents. Seven out of eight SFG rickettsiae species with zoonotic potential were previously reported in Romania. Tick-borne rickettsioses are caused by obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the spotted fever group (SFG) of the genus Rickettsia, one of the most diverse groups among Rickettsiales, comprising a large number of zoonotic agents [1].

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