MOLECULAR DETECTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF Bartonella spp., ANAPLASMATACEAE AGENTS, HEMOPLASMAS, AND PIROPLASMIDS IN RODENTS AND BATS SAMPLED IN SOUTHEASTERN AND NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

• Grant number: 24/22007-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Rogério André
• Grantee: Eliz Oliveira Franco
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Various vector-borne zoonotic pathogens have rodents and bats as their primary reservoirs. Among them are agents from the families Anaplasmataceae, Bartonellaceae, Mycoplasmataceae and the order Piroplasmida, which can cause diseases in both animals and humans, posing significant challenges to animal and public health, as well as to wildlife conservation medicine. Despite the vast diversity of rodent and bat species in Brazil, few studies have investigated the presence and diversity of these agents in these mammalian groups. This project aims to detect and molecularly characterize Bartonella spp., Anaplasmataceae agents, hemoplasmas, and piroplasmids in rodents and bats sampled from different biomes in southeastern and northeastern Brazil.To this end, biological sample collection expeditions were conducted in Cerrado regions in northeastern São Paulo and in four caves located in northeastern Brazil, in the states of Ceará, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, and Sergipe. Blood/spleen samples from the sampled animals will be subjected to DNA extraction, PCR assays for mammalian endogenous genes (gapdh), and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), conventional PCR (cPCR), and nested PCR (nPCR) assays based on various genetic regions to detect and molecularly characterize Anaplasmataceae, Bartonellaceae, Mycoplasmataceae, and Piroplasmida agents. The amplicons will be purified, sequenced, and subjected to phylogenetic inference. Additionally, whole blood samples from rodents and bats will be subjected to liquid pre-enrichment culture and seeded on chocolate agar for the isolation of Bartonella spp.. Suggestive colonies will be confirmed molecularly through quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and will subsequently have their complete genomes sequenced using the Illumina NovaSeq and Nanopore platforms for species characterization. Colonies of potential new Bartonella spp. species will be morphologically characterized (via scanning electron microscopy), as well as metabolically and biochemically analyzed.The results of this study will not only expand knowledge on the occurrence and diversity of Bartonella spp., Anaplasmataceae agents, hemoplasmas, and piroplasmids but will also provide crucial insights for epidemiological surveillance strategies and biodiversity conservation, contributing directly to public and animal health.