Widespread infection with hemotropic mycoplasmas in bats in Spain, including a hemoplasma closely related to “Candidatus Mycoplasma hemohominis”

Millán, Javier; López-Roig, Marc; Delicado, Verónica; Serra‐Cobo, Jordi; Esperón, Fernando

doi:10.1016/j.cimid.2015.01.002

Cited by 61 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…While more years of data are necessary to corroborate this result, these findings suggest hemoplasmas are endemic within vampire bat populations. Along with relatively high prevalence, this stable temporal trend corroborates other work suggesting bats to be reservoirs of hemoplasmas and potentially other bacterial infections [9,10,17]. The repeated sampling of a small number of recaptured bats in our study sheds further light on the infection dynamics of bat hemoplasmas.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Hemoplasmas have not been cultured in vitro , and their detection in many species has used PCR with or without analysis of Romanowsky–Giemsa and acridine orange–stained blood smears [20,57]. Prior work on bats has relied on PCR only but either with blood preserved in EDTA or with spleen, liver, or heart tissues [16,17,19]. We instead used blood preserved on Whatman FTA cards to facilitate room-temperature sample storage in remote, tropical field conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Novel hemotropic mycoplasmas are widespread and genetically diverse in vampire bats

et al. 2017

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Bats (Order: Chiroptera) have been widely studied as reservoir hosts for viruses of concern for human and animal health. However, whether bats are equally competent hosts of non-viral pathogens such as bacteria remains an important open question. Here, we surveyed blood and saliva samples of vampire bats from Peru and Belize for hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (hemoplasmas), bacteria that can cause inapparent infection or anemia in hosts. 16S rRNA gene amplification of blood showed 67% (150/223) of common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) were infected by hemoplasmas. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene amplicons revealed three novel genotypes that were phylogenetically related but not identical to hemoplasmas described from other (non-vampire) bat species, rodents, humans, and non-human primates. Hemoplasma prevalence in vampire bats was highest in non-reproductive and young individuals, did not differ by country, and was relatively stable over time (i.e., endemic). Metagenomics from pooled D. rotundus saliva from Peru detected non-hemotropic Mycoplasma species and hemoplasma genotypes phylogenetically similar to those identified in blood, providing indirect evidence for potential direct transmission of hemoplasmas through biting or social contacts. This study demonstrates vampire bats host several novel hemoplasmas and sheds light on risk factors for infection and basic transmission routes. Given the high frequency of direct contacts that arise when vampire bats feed on humans, domestic animals, and wildlife, the potential of these bacteria to be transmitted between species should be investigated in future work.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel hemotropic mycoplasmas are widespread and genetically diverse in vampire bats

et al. 2017

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“…Their pathogenicity can range, depending on the haemoplasma and mammalian host species, from acutely lifethreatening haemolytic anaemia to chronic infection with no apparent clinical manifestation (Henry, 1979;Hoelzle, Adelt, Hoelzle, Heinritzi, & Wittenbrink, 2003;Strait, Hawkins, & Wilson, 2012;Tasker et al, 2009b). Haemoplasmas are also common in wild animals, infecting a range of mammalian hosts at various prevalence levels, ranging from 3% to 97% (Bajer et al, 2014;Boes et al, 2012;Iso et al, 2013;Mascarelli et al, 2015;Millan, Lopez-Roig, Delicado, Serra-Cobo, & Esperon, 2015;Santos et al, 2013;Sashida, Suzuki, Rokuhara, Nagai, & Harasawa, 2014;Sashida et al, 2013;Sharifiyazdi, Nazifi, Aski, & Shayegh, 2014;Volokhov, Hwang, Chizhikov, Danaceau, & Gottdenker, 2017;Willi et al, 2007c). However, to date, experimental studies and long-term surveys have all been conducted with only a few target haemoplasma species of veterinary importance (e.g., Mycoplasma parvum, M. suis, "Ca.…”

Section: Harrusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Haemoplasmas in wild rodents: Routes of transmission and infection dynamics

et al. 2018

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The way that some parasites and pathogens persist in the hostile environment of their host for long periods remains to be resolved. Here, longitudinal field surveys were combined with laboratory experiments to investigate the routes of transmission and infection dynamics of such a pathogen-a wild rodent haemotropic bacterium, specifically a Mycoplasma haemomuris-like bacterium. Fleaborne transmission, direct rodent-to-rodent transmission and vertical transmission from fleas or rodents to their offspring were experimentally quantified, and indications were found that the main route of bacterial transmission is direct, although its rate of successful transmission is low (~20%). The bacterium's temporal dynamics was then compared in the field to that observed under a controlled infection experiment in field-infected and laboratory-infected rodents, and indications were found, under all conditions, that the bacterium reached its peak infection level after 25-45 days and then decreased to low bacterial loads, which persist for the rodent's lifetime. These findings suggest that the bacterium relies on persistency with low bacterial loads for long-term coexistence with its rodent host, having both conceptual and applied implications.

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“…Phylogenetic approaches have been showing the circulation of a wide and diverse number of genotypes and/or Candidatus to new hemoplasma species in wild animals, including some with zoonotic potential [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity and molecular characterization of novel hemoplasmas infecting wild rodents from different Brazilian biomes

Gonçalves

Roque

Matos

et al. 2015

Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

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Although hemoplasma infection in domestic animals has been well documented, little is known about the prevalence and genetic diversity of these bacteria in wild rodents. The present work aimed to investigate the occurrence of hemotrophic mycoplasmas in wild rodents from five Brazilian biomes, assessing the 16S rRNA phylogenetic position of hemoplasma species by molecular approach. Spleen tissues were obtained from 500 rodents, comprising 52 different rodent species trapped between 2000 and 2011. DNA samples were submitted to previously described PCR protocols for amplifying Mycoplasma spp. based on 16S rRNA, followed by sequencing and phylogenetic inferences. Among 457 rodent spleen samples showing absence of inhibitors, 100 (21.9%) were PCR positive to Mycoplasma spp. The occurrence of hemotropic mycoplasmas among all sampled rodents was demonstrated in all five biomes and ranged from 9.3% (7/75) to 26.2% (38/145). The Blastn analysis showed that amplified sequences had a percentage of identity ranging from 86 to 99% with other murine hemoplasmas. The ML phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene of 24 positive randomly selected samples showed the presence of ten distinct groups, all clustering within the Mycoplasma haemofelis. The phylogenetic assessment suggests the circulation of novel hemoplasma species in rodents from different biomes in Brazil.

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Widespread infection with hemotropic mycoplasmas in bats in Spain, including a hemoplasma closely related to “Candidatus Mycoplasma hemohominis”

Cited by 61 publications

References 11 publications

Novel hemotropic mycoplasmas are widespread and genetically diverse in vampire bats

Novel hemotropic mycoplasmas are widespread and genetically diverse in vampire bats

Haemoplasmas in wild rodents: Routes of transmission and infection dynamics

Diversity and molecular characterization of novel hemoplasmas infecting wild rodents from different Brazilian biomes

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