First Report of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Salivary Gland of Bats from the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

Abstract.In the Americas, 8 million people are infected with Chagas disease, and an additional 90 million people are at risk for infection. Little is known about the role bats play in the sylvatic transmission cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite causing Chagas disease. Here, we captured bats in the villages of Palmiche, Pachacutec, Nuevo San Martin, and Mayuriaga located in the Datem del Marañon Province in Loreto, Peru. Venous blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture or from the upper extremities, and trypanosomatids were identified by microscopy and molecularly. We collected blood samples from 121 bats on filter paper for molecular studies and 111 slides for microscopic examination of thin and thick blood smears from 16 different bat species. The prevalence of trypanosomatids in all bats species was 34.7% (42/121) and the prevalence of T. cruzi was 4.1% (5/121). In hematophagous bat species, the prevalence of trypanosomatids and T. cruzi was 36.9% (27/73) and 2.7% (2/73), respectively. In non-hematophagous bats, the prevalences of trypanosomatids and T. cruzi were 31.2% (15/48) and 6.2% (3/48), respectively. Also, we confirm the presence of T. cruzi in salivary glands of hematophagous bats Diaemus youngi. These results suggest a sylvatic cycle of trypanosomatid transmission in which bats may harbor infectious T. cruzi parasites that could be transmitted to humans via hematophagous bat bites or salivary contamination by non-hematophagous bats of vegetables consumed by humans.

Detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in the saliva of diverse neotropical bats

“…Although T. cruzi has been documented in the salivary glands of D. youngi (Villena et al, 2018), our findings comprise the first evidence of TcI in the saliva of D. rotundus and D. ecaudata, two vampire bat species which are known to feed on humans (Ito et al, 2016).…”

“…The recent detection of T. cruzi in the salivary glands of Diaemus youngi, a hematophagous bat, suggests the possibility that bats could also act as both reservoirs and transmitters of the parasite (Villena et al, 2018). Bats are important trypanosome reservoirs which host both generalist and bat-restricted trypanosomes (Marcili et al, 2009;Ramírez et al, 2014) and have been suggested as the ancestral host of trypanosomes (Hamilton et al, 2012).…”

Amazonian Reservoir Hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi

“…The highest infection rate was found in the Amazon basin compared to other biomes, suggesting that unaltered areas nurture a high parasite diversity [9]. In the Peruvian Amazon, a 4.1% T. cruzi infection prevalence in bats was reported, in both hematophagous (2.7%; 2/73) and non-hematophagous species (6.2%; 3/48) [35]. Interestingly, T. cruzi DNA was detected in the salivary glands of Diaemus youngi, an hematophagous bat [35].…”

“…In the Peruvian Amazon, a 4.1% T. cruzi infection prevalence in bats was reported, in both hematophagous (2.7%; 2/73) and non-hematophagous species (6.2%; 3/48) [35]. Interestingly, T. cruzi DNA was detected in the salivary glands of Diaemus youngi, an hematophagous bat [35]. This highlights the importance of studying the transmission mechanisms of T. cruzi in bats and their public health implications for the Amazon basin.…”

COVID-19: De respuesta global a respuesta regional en zoonosis emergentes

“…Se han documentado importantes nuevos y antiguos patógenos en murciélagos hematófagos de nuestra selva, y tenemos los reportes más altos de mordeduras a humanos en el mundo (20)(21)(22)(23) . Para el público en general, no es muy conocido el hecho de que cada una de estas mordeduras resulta en un contacto de al menos 15 minutos piel a piel, y de boca y lengua del murciélago a una herida abierta en un ser humano, frecuentemente cabeza y cara, por lo que el riesgo de que ocurra un evento zoonótico con origen en esta exposición es alto (24) .…”