3 research outputs found
Worldwide occurrence of haemoplasmas in wildlife: Insights into the patterns of infection, transmission, pathology and zoonotic potential
Haemotropic mycoplasmas (haemoplasmas) have increasingly attracted the attention of wildlife disease researchers due to a combination of wide host range, high prevalence and genetic diversity. A systematic review identified 75 articles that investigated haemoplasma infection in wildlife by molecular methods (chiefly targeting partial 16S rRNA gene sequences), which included 131 host genera across six orders. Studies were less common in the Eastern Hemisphere (especially Africa and Asia) and more frequent in the Artiodactyla and Carnivora. Meta-analysis showed that infection prevalence did not vary by geographic region nor host order, but wild hosts showed significantly higher prevalence than captive hosts. Using a taxonomically flexible machine learning algorithm, we also found vampire bats and cervids to have greater prevalence, whereas mink, a subclade of vesper bats, and true foxes all had lower prevalence compared to the remaining sampled mammal phylogeny. Haemoplasma genotype and nucleotide diversity varied little among wild mammals but were marginally lower in primates and bats. Coinfection with more than one haemoplasma species or genotype was always confirmed when assessed. Risk factors of infection identified were sociality, age, males and high trophic levels, and both prevalence and diversity were often higher in undisturbed environments. Haemoplasmas likely use different and concurrent transmission routes and typically display enzootic dynamics when wild populations are studied longitudinally. Haemoplasma pathology is poorly known in wildlife but appears subclinical. Candidatus Mycoplasma haematohominis, which causes disease in humans, probably has it natural host in bats. Haemoplasmas can serve as a model system in ecological and evolutionary studies, and future research on these pathogens in wildlife must focus on increasing the geographic range and taxa of studies and elucidating pathology, transmission and zoonotic potential. To facilitate such work, we recommend using universal PCR primers or NGS protocols to detect novel haemoplasmas and other genetic markers to differentiate among species and infer cross-species transmission
Novel hemotropic mycoplasmas are widespread and genetically diverse in vampire bats
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