Rickettsia spp. in bats of Romania: high prevalence of Rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat species
Abstract Background 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...
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doaj-e1532486a16447cbba40f6d2e9c483352021-02-14T12:10:39ZengBMCParasites & Vectors1756-33052021-02-011411810.1186/s13071-021-04592-xRickettsia spp. in bats of Romania: high prevalence of Rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat speciesIoana A. Matei0Alexandra Corduneanu1Attila D. Sándor2Angela Monica Ionică3Luciana Panait4Zsuzsa Kalmár5Talida Ivan6Ionel Papuc7Cosmina Bouari8Nicodim Fit9Andrei Daniel Mihalca10Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-NapocaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-NapocaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-NapocaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-NapocaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-NapocaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-NapocaDepartment of Semiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary MedicineDepartment of Semiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary MedicineDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-NapocaDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology and Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-NapocaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-NapocaAbstract Background 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. 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. Methods Here 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. Results Positive 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. Conclusion This 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.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04592-xChiropteraInsectivorous batsSFG rickettsiaeVector-borne diseasesZoonotic reservoir |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Ioana A. Matei Alexandra Corduneanu Attila D. Sándor Angela Monica Ionică Luciana Panait Zsuzsa Kalmár Talida Ivan Ionel Papuc Cosmina Bouari Nicodim Fit Andrei Daniel Mihalca |
spellingShingle |
Ioana A. Matei Alexandra Corduneanu Attila D. Sándor Angela Monica Ionică Luciana Panait Zsuzsa Kalmár Talida Ivan Ionel Papuc Cosmina Bouari Nicodim Fit Andrei Daniel Mihalca Rickettsia spp. in bats of Romania: high prevalence of Rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat species Parasites & Vectors Chiroptera Insectivorous bats SFG rickettsiae Vector-borne diseases Zoonotic reservoir |
author_facet |
Ioana A. Matei Alexandra Corduneanu Attila D. Sándor Angela Monica Ionică Luciana Panait Zsuzsa Kalmár Talida Ivan Ionel Papuc Cosmina Bouari Nicodim Fit Andrei Daniel Mihalca |
author_sort |
Ioana A. Matei |
title |
Rickettsia spp. in bats of Romania: high prevalence of Rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat species |
title_short |
Rickettsia spp. in bats of Romania: high prevalence of Rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat species |
title_full |
Rickettsia spp. in bats of Romania: high prevalence of Rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat species |
title_fullStr |
Rickettsia spp. in bats of Romania: high prevalence of Rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat species |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rickettsia spp. in bats of Romania: high prevalence of Rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat species |
title_sort |
rickettsia spp. in bats of romania: high prevalence of rickettsia monacensis in two insectivorous bat species |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
Parasites & Vectors |
issn |
1756-3305 |
publishDate |
2021-02-01 |
description |
Abstract Background 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. 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. Methods Here 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. Results Positive 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. Conclusion This 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. |
topic |
Chiroptera Insectivorous bats SFG rickettsiae Vector-borne diseases Zoonotic reservoir |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04592-x |
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