Detection of Trypanosoma spp. and Leishmania spp. in bats from the Atlantic department, Colombia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2026.431.15494Keywords:
Bats, Host, Natural Infection, Trypanosoma, LeishmaniaAbstract
Objective. The frequency of infection by Trypanosoma spp. and Leishmania spp. was determined in bats captured in the municipalities of Piojó, Tubará, and Usiacurí - Atlántico, in the northern Colombian Caribbean region. Materials and methods. Between August 2022 and April 2023, bats were captured using mist nets; these were taxonomically identified, and their sex, reproductive stage, and relative age were established. Blood samples were obtained from the brachial vein. The identification of Trypanosoma spp. was carried out through parasitological and molecular diagnosis, where DNA was extracted and the kinetoplast region (kDNA) was amplified; for the identification of Leishmania spp., the β-tubulin region was amplified. Results. Out of 110 bats analyzed, an overall infection frequency of 14.50% (16/110) was determined. The presence of Trypanosoma spp. was detected in 14.50% (16/110) of the individuals and Leishmania spp. in 10.00% (11/110). Coinfection was identified in 11 specimens, equivalent to a frequency of 10.00% of the total sample. The coinfected bats belonged to the species Artibeus lituratus, Artibeus jamaicensis, and Phyllostomus hastatus. Conclusions. This study constitutes the first report on the frequency of trypanosomatid coinfection in bats from the Department of Atlántico.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Brendy Alcira Padilla-Obregón, Iván Benavides-Céspedes, Yeisson Cera-Vallejo, Daisy Lozano-Arias, Carlos Mario Meléndez, Roberto Garcia-Alzate
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