and (Haemosporida) Parasite Infections of Bats in the Central Region of Cameroon

Overview

Journal Parasitology

Specialty Parasitology

Date 2022 Feb 21

PMID 35184780

Authors

K J A Tsague

E M Bakwo Fils

J P Atagana

N V Dongue

D W Mbeng

J Schaer

T Tchuinkam

Affiliations

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Abstract

Mammalian haemosporidian parasites are classified in ten genera, including Plasmodium, Hepatocystis and Nycteria. A high diversity of haemosporidian parasites has been described from bats, but our understanding of their prevalence, distribution and use of hosts remain fragmented. The haemosporidian parasites of bats in Cameroon have been largely understudied, but here, bats, sampled from different habitat types of the Central Region of Cameroon, were investigated for haemosporidian infections with a combination of microscopic and molecular phylogenetic analysis. An overall prevalence of 18.1% of haemosporidian infections was detected in a total of 155 investigated bats belonging to 14 bat species. For the first time Hepatocystis and Nycteria parasites were detected in bats from Cameroon and molecularly characterized. Hepatocystis infections were exclusively identified in the epauletted fruit bat host species Epomophorus pusillus with a high prevalence of 65.5%, whereas Nycteria infections could be detected in several hosts, namely: Doryrhina cyclops (60.0%), Rhinolophus landeri (20.0%) and one Nycteris grandis. This study unveils evidence that habitat types may play a role in transmission of Hepatocystis parasites on a local scale and it adds important information on the distribution and host specificity of the neglected haemosporidian genus Nycteria.

Citing Articles

Molecular detection of trypanosomes of the Trypanosoma livingstonei species group in diverse bat species in Central Cameroon.

Tsague K, Bakwo Fils E, Atagana J, Mbeng D, Palm L, Tchuinkam T Parasitol Res. 2024; 123(7):280.

PMID: 39037445 PMC: 11263222. DOI: 10.1007/s00436-024-08303-0.

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Barbosa A, Egan S, Feng Y, Xiao L, Ryan U Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis. 2023; 4:100155.

PMID: 38149267 PMC: 10750029. DOI: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2023.100155.

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