Open AccessTrypanosomatid parasites in Austrian mosquitoes
Author(s) -
Ellen Schoener,
Sarah Susanne Uebleis,
Claudia Cuk,
Michaela Nawratil,
Adelheid G. Obwaller,
Thomas Zechmeister,
Karin Lebl,
Jana Rádrová,
Carina Zittra,
Jan Votýpka,
HansPeter Fuehrer
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0196052
Subject(s) - biology , crithidia , parasite hosting , host (biology) , zoology , trypanosoma , ribosomal rna , genus , protozoa , ecology , botany , virology , genetics , world wide web , computer science , gene
Trypanosomatid flagellates have not been studied in Austria in any detail. In this study, specific nested PCR, targeted on the ribosomal small subunit, was used to determine the occurrence and diversity of trypanosomatids in wild-caught mosquitoes sampled across Eastern Austria in the years 2014−2015. We collected a total of 29,975 mosquitoes of 19 species divided in 1680 pools. Of these, 298 (17.7%), representing 12 different mosquito species, were positive for trypanosomatid DNA. In total, seven trypanosomatid spp. were identified (three Trypanosoma , three Crithidia and one Herpetomonas species), with the highest parasite species diversity found in the mosquito host Coquillettidia richiardii . The most frequent parasite species belonged to the mammalian Trypanosoma theileri / cervi species complex (found in 105 pools; 6.3%). The avian species T . culicavium (found in 69 pools; 4.1%) was only detected in mosquitoes of the genus Culex , which corresponds to their preference for avian hosts. Monoxenous trypanosomatids of the genus Crithidia and Herpetomonas were found in 20 (1.3%) mosquito pools. One third (n = 98) of the trypanosomatid positive mosquito pools carried more than one parasite species. This is the first large scale study of trypanosomatid parasites in Austrian mosquitoes and our results are valuable in providing an overview of the diversity of these parasites in Austria.