Molecular detection of Histoplasma capsulatum in insectivorous and frugivorous bats in Southeastern Brazil

Author(s)

dos Santos, Bruna ^[1] ; Langoni, Helio ^[1] ; da Silva, Rodrigo Costa ^[2] ; Menozzi, Benedito Donizete ^[1] ; Gimenes Bosco, Sandra de Moraes ^[3] ; Paiz, Lais Moraes ^[4] ; Ramos Augusto, Livia Carla ^[5] ; Richini-Pereira, Virginia Bodelao ^[5]

Affiliation

^[1] UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista, Sch Vet Med & Anim Sci, Dept Vet Hyg & Publ Hlth, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[2] Mississippi State Univ, Coll Vet Med, Dept Pathobiol & Populat Med, Mississippi State, MS 39762 - USA

^[3] UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biosci, Dept Microbiol & Immunol, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[4] State Univ Campinas UNICAMP, Sch Med Sci, Dept Publ Hlth, Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[5] Adolfo Lutz Inst, Reg Lab Bauru, Bauru, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Medical Mycology; v. 56, n. 8, p. 937-940, NOV 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

Bats are considered to play a significant role in the epidemiology of histoplasmosis, worldwide. We investigated the occurrence of H. capsulatum in lung samples from 89 bats, from urban areas in Southeastern Brazil, using nested PCR based on ribosomal DNA. Fungal DNA was detected in 31/89 samples (34.8%), of which 13/31 were Molossids (41.9%), 4/31 Eumops spp. (12.9%), 2/31 Artibeus lituratus (6.5%), and 12/31 others (38.7%). This is the first report of natural infection by H. capsulatum in A. lituratus in Southeastern Brazil, which reinforces the importance of these synanthropic animals in the epidemiology of histoplasmosis in urban areas. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/10978-2 - Molecular detection of pathogenic fungi in bats from Botucatu, São Paulo
• Grantee: Bruna dos Santos
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation