DETECTION AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. IN BATS IN THE STATE OF ACRE

• Grant number: 24/04537-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2024
• End date: May 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Rogério André
• Grantee: Abraão Isaque da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The genera Anaplasma and Ehrlichia are among the most important causative agents of tick-borne diseases, which can infect animals and humans. Such agents develop both in Ixodidae ticks, which also act as vectors, and in vertebrate hosts, which are represented by a wide variety of mammals and a minority of birds. Representatives of the genera Ehrlichia and Anaplasma, etiological agents of human and animal ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis, can be transmitted by ticks, blood transfusion, and organ transplantation. As a result of a unique combination of life history traits, such as a long life expectancy (average of 10 to 20 years), high population densities, roosting behaviors, and the ability to fly, bats are considered ideal reservoirs for several emerging zoonotic pathogens. Despite this, records on the occurrence of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia in bats are scarce. The present study aims to investigate the molecular occurrence of Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. in spleen samples from bats in the State of Acre, Brazil. To this end, 273 bats belonging to 32 different species were captured in two municipalities in the State of Acre: Rio Branco and Xapuri. DNA samples extracted from spleen fragments of captured animals and positive in a PCR assay based on the endogenous mammalian gapdh gene (indicating absence of PCR inhibitors in the DNA samples) will be submitted to molecular screening for detection of Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. by nested PCR based on the 16S rRNA and dsb gene, respectively. Positive samples will be submitted to PCR assays for molecular characterization based on the genes 16S RNA, gltA, groEL and intergenic region ITS 23S - 5S for Anaplasma spp., and 16S rRNA, groEL, sodB, gltA and ITS 23S - 5S for Ehrlichia. The amplicons will be purified and sequenced by the Sanger method. The sequences obtained will be compared with those previously deposited in Genbank and submitted to phylogenetic inferences. The results of the present study will contribute to the knowledge about the occurrence and diversity of Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. in bats in Brazil. In addition, the present study will provide important information about the diversity of genotypes of Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. in bats in the Brazilian Amazon, as well as will contribute to the understanding of the eco-epidemiology of such agents among vertebrates in the region.