Rickettsiae in the common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) and the bat soft tick Argas vespertilionis (Ixodida: Argasidae)

Shuo Zhao,Wenbo Tan,Gang Liu,Meihua Yang,Shanshan Zhao,Sándor Hornok,Yuanzhi Wang,Chunli Sang

doi:10.1186/s13071-020-3885-x

Shuo Zhao, Wenbo Tan + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-3885-x

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Abstract

BackgroundIncreasing molecular evidence supports that bats and/or their ectoparasites may harbor vector-borne bacteria, such as bartonellae and borreliae. However, the simultaneous occurrence of rickettsiae in bats and bat ticks has been poorly studied.MethodsIn this study, 54 bat carcasses and their infesting soft ticks (n = 67) were collected in Shihezi City, northwestern China. The heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, small intestine and large intestine of bats were dissected, followed by DNA extraction. Soft ticks were identified both morphologically and molecularly. All samples were examined for the presence of rickettsiae by amplifying four genetic markers (17-kDa, gltA, ompA and ompB).ResultsAll bats were identified as Pipistrellus pipistrellus, and their ticks as Argas vespertilionis. Molecular analyses showed that DNA of Rickettsia parkeri, R. lusitaniae, R. slovaca and R. raoultii was present in bat organs/tissues. In addition, nine of the 67 bat soft ticks (13.43%) were positive for R. raoultii (n = 5) and R. rickettsii (n = 4). In the phylogenetic analysis, these bat-associated rickettsiae clustered together with conspecific sequences reported from other host and tick species, confirming the above results.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, DNA of R. parkeri, R. slovaca and R. raoultii was detected for the first time in bat organs/tissues. This is also the first molecular evidence for the presence of R. raoultii and R. rickettsii in bat ticks. To our knowledge, R. parkeri was not known to occur in Asia. Our results highlight the need to assess rickettsial agents in a broader range of bat species and associated tick species.

Highlights

Increasing molecular evidence supports that bats and/or their ectoparasites may harbor vector-borne bacteria, such as bartonellae and borreliae
Out of 378 bat organs/tissues and 67 bat ticks, 6 bats and 9 ticks were positive for the four Rickettsia genetic markers (17-kDa, citrate synthase (gltA), outer membrane proteins A (ompA) and outer membrane proteins B (ompB))
Sequencing identified R. parkeri in the heart, liver and kidney of a bat, R. lusitaniae in the heart, liver and small intestine of a bat, R. slovaca in the lung and kidney of two bats and R. raoultii was only found in the liver of two bats (Fig. 1, Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Increasing molecular evidence supports that bats and/or their ectoparasites may harbor vector-borne bacteria, such as bartonellae and borreliae. The simultaneous occurrence of rickettsiae in bats and bat ticks has been poorly studied. Increasing molecular evidence supports that bats and/or their ticks may harbor vector-borne zoonotic bacteria, such as bartonellae and borreliae [7, 8]. The occurrence of rickettsiae in bats and bat ticks appears to be poorly studied, in Eurasia. To the best of our knowledge, a simultaneous analysis of bat tissues and bat ticks for the presence of rickettsiae in central Asia has not been carried out.

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