Author:
Thiombiano Noel Gabiliga,Boungou Magloire,Chabi Bertrand Adéchègoun Mèschac,Oueda Adama,Werb Oskar,Schaer Juliane
Abstract
AbstractBats are hosts to a large diversity of eukaryotic protozoan blood parasites that comprise species of Trypanosoma and different haemosporidian parasite taxa and bats have played an important role in the evolutionary history of both parasite groups. However, bats in several geographical areas have not been investigated, including in Burkina Faso, where no information about malaria parasites and trypanosomes of bats exists to date.In this study, we collected data on the prevalence and the phylogenetic relationships of protozoan blood parasites in nine different bat species in Burkina Faso. Hepatocystis parasites were detected in two species of epauletted fruit bats, and a relatively high diversity of trypanosome parasites was identified in five bat species. The phylogenetic analyses recovered the trypanosome parasites of the bat species Rhinolophus alcyone and Nycteris hispida as close relatives of T. livingstonei, the trypanosome infections in Scotophilus leucogaster as closely related to the species T. vespertilionis and the trypanosomes from Pipistrellus nanulus and Epomophorus gambianus might present the species T. dionisii. These findings of the first investigation in Burkina Faso present a first snapshot of the diversity of protozoan blood parasites in bats in this country.
Funder
Berlin Center for Global Engagement at the Berlin University Alliance
International Funds for Science
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Insect Science,General Veterinary,General Medicine,Parasitology
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