Leishmania (L.) mexicana Infected Bats in Mexico: Novel Potential Reservoirs
Por:
Berzunza-Cruz M., Rodríguez-Moreno Á., Gutiérrez-Granados G., González-Salazar C., Stephens C.R., Hidalgo-Mihart M., Marina C.F., Rebollar-Téllez E.A., Bailón-Martínez D., Balcells C.D., Ibarra-Cerdeña C.N., Sánchez-Cordero V., Becker I.
Publicada:
1 ene 2015
Resumen:
Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana causes cutaneous leishmaniasis, an
endemic zoonosis affecting a growing number of patients in the
southeastern states of Mexico. Some foci are found in shade-grown cocoa
and coffee plantations, or near perennial forests that provide rich
breeding grounds for the sand fly vectors, but also harbor a variety of
bat species that live off the abundant fruits provided by these
shade-giving trees. The close proximity between sand flies and bats
makes their interaction feasible, yet bats infected with Leishmania (L.)
mexicana have not been reported. Here we analyzed 420 bats from six
states of Mexico that had reported patients with leishmaniasis. Tissues
of bats, including skin, heart, liver and/or spleen were screened by PCR
for Leishmania (L.) mexicana DNA. We found that 41 bats (9.77%),
belonging to 13 species, showed positive PCR results in various tissues.
The infected tissues showed no evidence of macroscopic lesions. Of the
infected bats, 12 species were frugivorous, insectivorous or
nectarivorous, and only one species was sanguivorous (Desmodus
rotundus), and most of them belonged to the family Phyllostomidae. The
eco-region where most of the infected bats were caught is the Gulf
Coastal Plain of Chiapas and Tabasco. Through experimental infections of
two Tadarida brasiliensis bats in captivity, we show that this species
can harbor viable, infective Leishmania (L.) mexicana parasites that are
capable of infecting BALB/c mice. We conclude that various species of
bats belonging to the family Phyllostomidae are possible reservoir hosts
for Leishmania (L.) mexicana, if it can be shown that such bats are
infective for the sand fly vector. Further studies are needed to
determine how these bats become infected, how long the parasite remains
viable inside these potential hosts and whether they are infective to
sand flies to fully evaluate their impact on disease epidemiology.
Filiaciones:
Berzunza-Cruz M.:
Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Rodríguez-Moreno Á.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Biol, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Gutiérrez-Granados G.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Biol, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
González-Salazar C.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Ctr Ciencias Complejidad C3, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Stephens C.R.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Ciencias Nucl, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Ctr Ciencias Complejidad C3, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Hidalgo-Mihart M.:
División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Villahermosa, Mexico
Marina C.F.:
Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública—INSP, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
Rebollar-Téllez E.A.:
Laboratorio de Entomología Médica, Departamento de Zoología de Invertebrados, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolás de Los Garza, Mexico
Bailón-Martínez D.:
Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Balcells C.D.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Biol, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Ibarra-Cerdeña C.N.:
Departamento de Ecología Humana, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV), Unidad Mérida, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico
Sánchez-Cordero V.:
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Biol, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Becker I.:
Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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