title: Screening of bat faeces for arthropod-borne apicomplexan protozoa: Babesia canis and Besnoitia besnoiti-like sequences from Chiroptera.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bats are among the most eco-epidemiologically important mammals, owing to their presence in human settlements and animal keeping facilities. Roosting of bats in buildings may bring pathogens of veterinary-medical importance into the environment of domestic animals and humans. In this context bats have long been studied as carriers of various pathogen groups. However, despite their close association with arthropods (both in their food and as their ectoparasites), only a few molecular surveys have been published on their role as carriers of vector-borne protozoa. The aim of the present study was to compensate for this scarcity of information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Altogether 221 (mostly individual) bat faecal samples were collected in Hungary and the Netherlands. The DNA was extracted, and analysed with PCR and sequencing for the presence of arthropod-borne apicomplexan protozoa. Babesia canis canis (with 99-100% homology) was identified in five samples, all from Hungary. Because it was excluded with an Ixodidae-specific PCR that the relevant bats consumed ticks, these sequences derive either from insect carriers of Ba. canis, or from the infection of bats. In one bat faecal sample from the Netherlands a sequence having the highest (99%) homology to Besnoitia besnoiti was amplified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that some aspects of the epidemiology of canine babesiosis are underestimated or unknown, i.e. the potential role of insect-borne mechanical transmission and/or the susceptibility of bats to Ba. canis. In addition, bats need to be added to future studies in the quest for the final host of Be. besnoiti.
authors: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary. hornok.sandor@aotk.szie.hu.
authors: Sándor
authors: S
authors: Hornok
authors: Department of Zoology, Eszterházy Károly College, Eger, Hungary. batfauna@gmail.com.
authors: Péter
authors: P
authors: Estók
authors: Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, Debrecen University, Debrecen, Hungary. david.kovats@gmail.com.
authors: Dávid
authors: D
authors: Kováts
authors: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary. flaisz.barbara@aotk.szie.hu.
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Flaisz
authors: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary. takacs.nora@aotk.szie.hu.
authors: Nóra
authors: N
authors: Takács
authors: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary. krisztina.sz347@gmail.com.
authors: Krisztina
authors: K
authors: Szőke
authors: Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands. aleksandra.krawczyk@rivm.nl.
authors: Aleksandra
authors: A
authors: Krawczyk
authors: Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary. jkontschan@gmail.com.
authors: Jenő
authors: J
authors: Kontschán
authors: Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary. m.gyuranecz@gmail.com.
authors: Miklós
authors: M
authors: Gyuranecz
authors: Veterinary Authority, Miskolc, Hungary. jedrek74@gmail.hu.
authors: András
authors: A
authors: Fedák
authors: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors: Róbert
authors: R
authors: Farkas
authors: Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. ahaarsma@dds.nl.
authors: Anne-Jifke
authors: AJ
authors: Haarsma
authors: Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands. hsprong@gmail.com.
authors: Hein
authors: H
authors: Sprong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001403:Babesia / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D008403:Mass Screening; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D021745:Sarcocystidae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan