Lack of Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in Pipistrellus spp. Bats from Densely Cat-Populated Areas of NE Spain
Lobato-Bailón, Lourdes (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
López-Morales, Ane (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
Quintela, Rita (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Wildlife Conservation Medicine Research Group (WildCoM))
Puig Ribas, Maria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
Molina-López, Rafael (Centre de Fauna Salvatge de Torreferrussa (Santa Perpètua de la Mogoda, Catalunya))
Obón, Elena (Centre de Fauna Salvatge de Torreferrussa (Santa Perpètua de la Mogoda, Catalunya))
Napp Avelli, Sebastián (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
Pailler-García, Lola (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)
Espunyes, Johan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals)
Cabezón Ponsoda, Óscar (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries. Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal)

Date:	2022
Abstract:	Toxoplasma gondii infection in healthy animals is often asymptomatic. However, some species with little history of contact with the parasite, such as marsupials and New World primates, present high mortality rates after infection. Despite its potential conservation concern, T. gondii infection in insectivorous bats has received little attention, and its impact on bat populations' health is unknown. To assess the putative role of insectivorous bats in the cycle of T. gondii, samples of three species of bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus, P. pygmaeus and P. kuhlii) collected between 2019 and 2021 in NE Spain were tested for the presence of the parasite using a qPCR. All tissues resulted negative (0. 0% prevalence with 95% CI: [0. 0-2. 6]) for the presence of T. gondii. Unlike previous studies on insectivorous bats from Europe, Asia and America, the present study suggests that Pipistrellus spp. bats do not play a significant role in the epidemiology of T. gondii in NE Spain. Further studies are encouraged to elucidate both the epidemiology of T. gondii and its potential impact on the health of microchiropteran species in Europe.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Chiroptera ; Vespertilionidae ; Wildlife ; Host-pathogen interactions ; Sarcocystidae ; Toxoplasma gondii
Published in:	Pathogens, Vol. 11 Núm. 12 (december 2022) , p. 1451, ISSN 2076-0817

DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121451
PMID: 36558788

7 p, 619.3 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA-IRTA)
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Research group Wildlife Ecology & Health
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Articles > Published articles