title: DNA of Piroplasms of Ruminants and Dogs in Ixodid Bat Ticks.
abstract: In this study 308 ticks (Ixodes ariadnae: 26 larvae, 14 nymphs, five females; I. vespertilionis: 89 larvae, 27 nymphs, eight females; I. simplex: 80 larvae, 50 nymphs, nine females) have been collected from 200 individuals of 17 bat species in two countries, Hungary and Romania. After DNA extraction these ticks were molecularly analysed for the presence of piroplasm DNA. In Hungary I. ariadnae was most frequently identified from bat species in the family Vespertilionidae, whereas I. vespertilionis was associated with Rhinolophidae. Ixodes ariadnae was not found in Romania. Four, four and one new bat host species of I. ariadnae, I. vespertilionis and I. simplex were identified, respectively. DNA sequences of piroplasms were detected in 20 bat ticks (15 larvae, four nymphs and one female). I. simplex carried piroplasm DNA sequences significantly more frequently than I. vespertilionis. In I. ariadnae only Babesia vesperuginis DNA was detected, whereas in I. vespertilionis sequences of both B. vesperuginis and B. crassa. From I. simplex the DNA of B. canis, Theileria capreoli, T. orientalis and Theileria sp. OT3 were amplified, as well as a shorter sequence of the zoonotic B. venatorum. Bat ticks are not known to infest dogs or ruminants, i.e. typical hosts and reservoirs of piroplasms molecularly identified in I. vespertilionis and I. simplex. Therefore, DNA sequences of piroplasms detected in these bat ticks most likely originated from the blood of their respective bat hosts. This may indicate either that bats are susceptible to a broader range of piroplasms than previously thought, or at least the DNA of piroplasms may pass through the gut barrier of bats during digestion of relevant arthropod vectors. In light of these findings, the role of bats in the epidemiology of piroplasmoses deserves further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Sándor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hornok
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Krisztina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Szőke
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, Debrecen University, Debrecen, Hungary.
authors.forename: Dávid
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kováts
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Eszterházy Károly University, Eger, Hungary.
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Estók
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Görföl
authors.affiliation: Department of Nature Conservation, Aggtelek National Park Directorate, Jósvafő, Hungary.
authors.forename: Sándor A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Boldogh
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Nóra
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takács
authors.affiliation: Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Jenő
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kontschán
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Földvári
authors.affiliation: Romanian Bat Protection Association, Satu Mare, Romania.
authors.forename: Levente
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barti
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corduneanu
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Attila D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sándor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000523:psychology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000469:parasitology*; D012418:Ruminants