Looking for the diversity of Bartonella spp. in mammals, birds and hematophagous dipterans in Brazil

• Grant number: 22/08543-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• End date: May 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Rogério André
• Grantee: Marcos Rogério André
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alan Fecchio ; André Luiz Rodrigues Roque ; Andréia Fernandes Brilhante ; Israel de Souza Pinto ; Maria Clara Alves Santarém ; Maria Luiza Felippe Bauer ; Paloma Helena Fernandes Shimabukuro
• Associated research grant(s): 23/01606-1 - Bartonella spp. in cave bats and their ectoparasitic flies: diversity, phylogenetic relationships, and interaction networks, AP.R

Abstract

The genus Bartonella (Rhizobiales; Bartonellaceae) encompasses facultative intracellular Gram-negative bacteria that mainly parasitize erythrocytes and endothelial cells of mammals, and can cause zoonoses with clinical manifestations ranging from moderate to severe, depending on the Bartonella species involved and the immune status of the animal. Cats, rodents and bats act as reservoirs for a great diversity of Bartonella species, many of which are zoonotic. Despite this, the genetic diversity of Bartonella spp. in bats in Brazil is still poorly studied. Likewise, only one study to date aimed to genotype B. henselae isolates from blood samples from cats in Brazil, showing the occurrence of Sequence Types (ST) 9 and 37 in cats in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, respectively. With regard to the occurrence and diversity of Bartonella spp. that infect dogs in Brazil, studies are even scarcer. There are no studies on the occurrence of Bartonella spp. in wild birds in Brazil. Although they are mainly transmitted by hematophagous arthropod vectors (fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flies and lice), the relationship between this group of bacteria and hematophagous dipterans is poorly studied. Although dipterans of the genus Lutzomyia are the main vectors of Bartonella bacilliformis in Peru, there are no studies on the occurrence and molecular identity of this group of bacteria in sandflies in Brazil, which harbors a huge diversity of Psychodidae dipterans. Additionally, blood transfusion from infected and asymptomatic donors is a possible and neglected form of transmission of these agents. The present study aims to investigate the genetic diversity of Bartonella spp. in blood or spleen samples from dogs, cats, bats, wild birds and in specimens of Psychodidae and Ceratopogonidae dipterans in Brazil. Blood samples from dogs (n=200) and cats (n=200) submitted to routine clinical pathology tests and from blood donors in the Federal District will be cultured for Bartonella spp. using an approach that combines enrichment in liquid BAPGM (Bartonella Alpha Proteobacteria Growth Medium) and isolation on chocolate agar, followed by real-time (qPCR) and conventional (PCR) PCR assays for Bartonella spp. based on numerous molecular markers. B. henselae isolates from blood samples from dogs and cats will be genotyped by the Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) technique. Blood samples from dogs and cats from the Federal District, birds (n=817) from the Pantanal from Mato Grosso and from Mato Grosso do Sul, spleen samples from bats from the states of Acre (n=353) and Pará (n=229), and samples of Psychodidae (n=976) and Ceratopogonidae (n=300) dipterans from several states in the North and Northeast regions of the country will be subjected to DNA extraction and qPCR and PCR assays for Bartonella spp. based on several gene targets, followed by sequencing by the Sanger Method and phylogenetic inferences. The present proposal will contribute to the understanding of the genetic diversity of Bartonella spp. in dogs, cats, bats, wild birds and Psychodidae and Ceratopogonidae dipterans in Brazil. (AU)

Scientific publications

(14)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MONGRUEL, ANNA CLAUDIA BAUMEL; MEDICI, EMILIA PATRICIA; CANENA, ARIEL DA COSTA; DIAS, CLARA MORATO; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Molecular evidence of Bartonella spp. in wild lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris), the largest land mammals in Brazil. COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, v. 101, p. 8-pg., 2023-10-01. (22/08543-2, 19/26403-0)

ALABI CORDOVA, AMIR SALVADOR; FECCHIO, ALAN; CALCHI, ANA CLAUDIA; DIAS, CLARA MORATO; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Molecular evidence of Bartonella spp. in tropical wild birds from the Brazilian Pantanal, the largest wetland in South America. VETERINARY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS, v. 48, n. 3, p. 10-pg., 2024-03-05. (22/08543-2, 20/14948-0)

DE MELLO, VICTORIA VALENTE CALIFRE; DE OLIVEIRA, LARYSSA BORGES; COELHO, TACIANA FERNANDES SOUZA BARBOSA; LEE, DANIEL ANTONIO BRAGA; DAS NEVES, LORENA FREITAS; FRANCO, ELIZ OLIVEIRA; MONGRUEL, ANNA CLAUDIA BAUMEL; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Diversity of Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp. and Neorickettsia spp. in vampire bats. CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES, v. 5, p. 10-pg., 2024-06-10. (22/08543-2)

MONGRUEL, ANNA CLAUDIA BAUMEL; MEDICI, EMILIA PATRICIA; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; CLAY, KEITH; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Characterization of the Blood Bacterial Microbiota in Lowland Tapirs (Tapirus terrestris), a Vulnerable Species in Brazil. MICROORGANISMS, v. 12, n. 11, p. 22-pg., 2024-11-01. (22/13016-1, 22/08543-2, 20/12037-0, 19/26403-0)

CALCHI, ANA CLAUDIA; BRAGA, LAIZA DE QUEIROZ VIANA; BASSINI-SILVA, RICARDO; CASTRO-SANTIAGO, ANACAROLINA; HERRERA, HEITOR MIRAGLIA; SOARES, JOAO FABIO; BARROS-BATTESTI, DARCI MORAES; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; ROCHA, FABIANA LOPES; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Phylogenetic inferences based on distinct molecular markers reveals a novel Babesia ( Babesia pantanalensis nov. sp.) and a Hepatozoon americanum-related genotype in crab-eating foxes ( Cerdocyon thous ). Experimental Parasitology, v. 262, p. 10-pg., 2024-05-22. (20/11755-6, 20/12037-0, 20/07826-5, 21/06758-9, 22/08543-2)

BATTISTI, LUCIANO DE OLIVEIRA; MONGRUEL, ANNA CLAUDIA BAUMEL; FAGUNDES-MOREIRA, RENATA; BAGGIO-SOUZA, VINICIUS; DE SOUZA, VIVIANE KELIN; DE AMORIM, DEREK BLAESE; WAGNER, PAULO GUILHERME C.; SOUZA, UGO A.; GONCALVES, ANA PAULA; GIROTTO-SOARES, ALINE; et al. Post-mortem detection of hemoplasmas (hemotropic Mycoplasma spp.) in South American fur seal ( Arctocephalus australis ) sampled in Rio Grande do Sul State, southern Brazil. COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, v. 109, p. 7-pg., 2024-05-03. (22/08543-2, 19/26403-0)

CALCHI, ANA CLAUDIA; DUARTE, JOSE MAURICIO BARBANTI; CASTRO-SANTIAGO, ANA CAROLINA; BASSINI-SILVA, RICARDO; BARROS-BATTESTI, DARCI MORAES; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Genetic diversity of Theileria spp. in deer (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) from Brazil. Parasitology Research, v. 123, n. 11, p. 17-pg., 2024-11-01. (20/11755-6, 20/12037-0, 20/07826-5, 21/06758-9, 22/08543-2)

MONGRUEL, ANNA CLAUDIA BAUMEL; MEDICI, EMILIA PATRICIA; CANENA, ARIEL DA COSTA; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; CLAY, KEITH; LABRUNA, MARCELO BAHIA; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. First molecular detection of Borrelia sp. in tapirs (Tapirus terrestris). VETERINARY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS, v. 48, n. 4, p. 8-pg., 2024-05-07. (22/08543-2, 20/12037-0, 19/26403-0)

DE MELLO, VICTORIA VALENTE CALIFRE; DE OLIVEIRA, LARYSSA BORGES; COELHO, TACIANA FERNANDES SOUZA BARBOSA; LEE, DANIEL ANTONIO BRAGA; FRANCO, ELIZ OLIVEIRA; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Molecular survey of hemoplasmas and Coxiella burnetii in vampire bats from northern Brazil. COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES, v. 106, p. 9-pg., 2024-01-26. (22/08543-2)

ARANTES, PAULO VITOR CADINA; PINTO, ISRAEL DE SOUZA; SANTAREM, MARIA CLARA ALVES; FELIPPE-BAUER, MARIA LUIZA; LEE, DANIEL ANTONIO BRAGA; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Molecular evidence of Bartonella spp. in biting midges of the genus Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Brazil. Acta Tropica, v. 263, p. 10-pg., 2025-02-16. (22/08543-2, 22/16085-4)

FRANCO, ELIZ OLIVEIRA; DE OLIVEIRA, LARYSSA BORGEDES; CALCHI, ANA CLAUDIA; DE MELLO, VICTORIA VALENTE CALIFRE; LEE, DANIEL ANTONIO BRAGA; ARANTES, PAULO VITOR CADINA; GRACIOLLI, GUSTAVO; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; COELHO, TACIANA FERNANDES SOUZA BARBOSA; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Genetic diversity of Bartonella spp. in vampire bats and associated Streblidae bat flies in the Brazilian Amazon. Parasitology International, v. 106, p. 14-pg., 2024-12-19. (22/08543-2)

MONGRUEL, ANNA CLAUDIA BAUMEL; MEDICI, EMILIA PATRICIA; CANENA, ARIEL COSTA; CORDOVA, AMIR SALVADOR ALABI; DAS NEVES, LORENA FREITAS; FRANCO, ELIZ DE OLIVEIRA; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Molecular survey of vector-borne agents in lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) from Brazil reveals a new Anaplasma genotype. Acta Tropica, v. 260, p. 13-pg., 2024-11-30. (19/26403-0, 22/08543-2, 20/12037-0)

SADA, JOVENCIO MATEUS; KLUYBER, DANILO; LEE, DANIEL ANTONIO BRAGA; CALCHI, ANA CLAUDIA; ALVES, MARIO HENRIQUE; MACHADO, DALIA MONIQUE RIBEIRO; WERTHER, KARIN; MACHADO, ROSANGELA ZACARIAS; DESBIEZ, ARNAUD LEONARD JEAN; ANDRE, MARCOS ROGERIO. Molecular detection and characterization of Anaplasmataceae agents, Bartonella spp. and hemoplasmas in armadillos and anteaters from Brazil. Acta Tropica, v. 260, p. 14-pg., 2024-12-04. (22/08543-2)

SANCHES, GUSTAVO SERON; RODRIGUES, LUISA; TORREJON, ESTEFANIA; BASSINI-SILVA, RICARDO; CALCHI, ANA CLAUDIA; LEE, DANIEL ANTONIO BRAGA; ARANTES, PAULO VITOR CADINA; BARBIER, EDER; BARROS-BATTESTI, DARCI MORAES; GRACIOLLI, GUSTAVO; et al. Molecular Survey of Anaplasmataceae Agents, Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., and Piroplasmids in Ectoparasites from Cave-Dwelling Bats in Mainland Portugal. PATHOGENS, v. 14, n. 3, p. 20-pg., 2025-03-12. (22/08543-2, 23/09610-8)