Lack of Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in Pipistrellus spp. Bats from Densely Cat-Populated Areas of NE Spain
View/Open
Author
Lobato-Bailón, Lourdes
López-Morales, Ane
Quintela, Rita
Puig Ribas, Maria
Molina-López, Rafael
Obon, Elena
Pailler García, Lola
Publication date
2022-12-01ISSN
2076-0817
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii infection in healthy animals is often asymptomatic. However, some species with little history of contact with the parasite, such as marsupials and New World primates, present high mortality rates after infection. Despite its potential conservation concern, T. gondii infection in insectivorous bats has received little attention, and its impact on bat populations’ health is unknown. To assess the putative role of insectivorous bats in the cycle of T. gondii, samples of three species of bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus, P. pygmaeus and P. kuhlii) collected between 2019 and 2021 in NE Spain were tested for the presence of the parasite using a qPCR. All tissues resulted negative (0.0% prevalence with 95% CI: [0.0–2.6]) for the presence of T. gondii. Unlike previous studies on insectivorous bats from Europe, Asia and America, the present study suggests that Pipistrellus spp. bats do not play a significant role in the epidemiology of T. gondii in NE Spain. Further studies are encouraged to elucidate both the epidemiology of T. gondii and its potential impact on the health of microchiropteran species in Europe.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
619 - Veterinary science
Pages
7
Publisher
MDPI
Is part of
Pathogens
Citation
Lobato-Bailón, Lourdes, Ane López-Morales, Rita Quintela, Maria Puig Ribas, Rafael Molina-López, Elena Obon, Sebastián Napp, Lola Pailler-García, Johan Espunyes, and Óscar Cabezón. 2022. "Lack Of Detection Of Toxoplasma Gondii In Pipistrellus Spp. Bats From Densely Cat-Populated Areas Of NE Spain". Pathogens 11 (12): 1451. doi:10.3390/pathogens11121451.
Program
Sanitat Animal
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2575]
The following license files are associated with this item:
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/