Ocorrência de tripanossomatídeos em morcegos (Mammalia : Chiroptera) no Distrito Federal, Brasil

Bats are hosts of various species of trypanosomatids, including those of medical interest such as Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp. However, there isn’t enough infomation about which of these parasites are present in bats of the Distrito Federal (DF), Brazil, and also the role of bats in the maintenance of the trypanosomes in the wild cycles. Therefore, this work has aimed to analyze the occurrence of trypanosomatids in bats in Distrito Federal. The bats were captured with mist nets in six sites: Fazenda Água Limpa FAL, Jardim Botânico de Brasília, Fercal, REBIO Contagem, Campus da UnB in Brasília, and Fazenda Sarah in Brazlândia. Wing fragments, oral swabs and blood were collected. The blood collected was inserted into blood culture, impregnated in filter paper and used to perform blood smears. For the molecular analysis of the parasites, a SSU rRNA nested PCR was performed. In the first PCR, S4 and S12 primers were used, which generate a fragment of 520 bp. This fragment was used for the nested PCR with the primers S17 and S18 that generate a 480bp fragment, whose products were sequenced. Besides the nested PCR SSU rRNA, a kDNA qPCR was also performed to identify which samples were positive for T. cruzi and T. rangeli. A total of 146 bats of 14 species were captured. No parasites were identified in the blood smears. However, positive blood cultures were identified for Trypanosoma dionisii in Carollia perspicillata and Diphylla ecaudata, also this is the first recorded of T. dionisii in D. ecaudata. The blood impregnated in filter paper was the biological sample with the largest postivity for trypanosomatis, followed by the swab samples and the wing samples. T. cruzi, T. rangeli, T. lewisi and Leishmania spp. were identified in bats. In all areas infection by trypanosomatid was detected, and FAL was the area where the greatest species richness of trypanosomatids was detected. Leishmania spp. was found parasitizing 12 species of bats and it was present in all the the study areas, showing that this parasite is circulating in wild areas in DF. The PCR of oral swabs was a non-invasive and practical method for identification of Leishmania spp. Bats should not be excluded as potential reservoirs for trypanosomatids of medical interest, as well as their participation in the enzootic cycle of these parasites. Key-Words: Cerrado, bats, trypanosomatids, Trypanosoma, Leishmania, reservoir.