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Crimean‐Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) causes a serious human tick‐borne disease. In animals, CCHFV infections are mainly subclinical. The circulation of the virus has received little attention in areas where the main vector (Hyalomma spp.) is not considered to be present or established (e.g., the Northern Iberian Peninsula). The presence of antibodies against CCHFV was evaluated in sera collected from 1190 wild boars, 36 red deer, and 36 roe deer in the Basque Country (Northern Iberian Peninsula) in 2014–2019. Antibodies were found in the three wild ungulate species with an overall prevalence of 2.5%. The highest seroprevalence was found in red deer (22.2%) and in the southwest province: Araba (8.6%). The presence of antibodies against CCHFV in wild ungulates reported in this study could be due to an underestimated presence of Hyalomma ticks, the sporadic exposure to infected Hyalomma ticks transported by animals (e.g., migratory birds), or the role of other tick species in the virus's circulation. The detection of exposed animals since 2014 suggests that the circulation of the virus beyond the southwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula could have been more widespread than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Darwin's fox (Lycalopex fulvipes) is one of the most endangered carnivores worldwide, with the risk of disease spillover from domestic dogs being a major conservation threat. However, lack of epidemiologic information about generalist, non–dog-transmission-dependent protozoal and bacterial pathogens may be a barrier for disease prevention and management. To determine the exposure of some of these agents in Darwin's fox populations, 54 serum samples were collected from 47 Darwin's foxes in Southern Chile during 2013–18 and assessed for the presence of antibodies against Brucella abortus, Brucella canis, Coxiella burnetii, pathogenic Leptospira (serovars Grippotyphosa, Pomona, Canicola, Hardjo, and Copehageni), Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum. The highest seroprevalence was detected for T. gondii (78%), followed by pathogenic Leptospira (14%). All the studied Leptospira serovars were confirmed in at least one animal. Two foxes seroconverted to Leptospira and one to T. gondii during the study period. No seroconversions were observed for the other pathogens. No risk factors, either intrinsic (sex, age) or extrinsic (season, year, and degree of landscape anthropization), were associated with the probability of being exposed to T. gondii. Our results indicate that T. gondii exposure is widespread in the Darwin's fox population, including in areas with minimal anthropization, and that T. gondii and pathogenic Leptospira might be neglected threats to the species. Further studies identifying the causes of morbidity and mortality in Darwin's fox are needed to determine if these or other pathogens are having individual or population-wide effects in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus (CCHFV) is a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen that can cause a lethal haemorrhagic disease in humans. Although the virus appears to be endemically established in the Iberian Peninsula, CCHF is an emerging disease in Spain. Clinical signs of CCHFV infection are mainly manifested in humans, but the virus replicates in several animal species. Understanding the determinants of CCHFV exposure risk from animal models is essential to predicting high-risk exposure hotspots for public health action. With this objective in mind, we designed a cross-sectional study of Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Spain and Portugal. The study analysed 5,291 sera collected between 2006 and 2022 from 90 wild boar populations with a specific double-antigen ELISA to estimate CCHFV serum prevalence and identify the main determinants of exposure probability. To do so, we statistically modelled exposure risk with host- and environment-related predictors and spatially projected it at a 10 × 10 km square resolution at the scale of the Iberian Peninsula to map foci of infection risk. Fifty-seven (63.3 %) of the 90 populations had at least one seropositive animal, with seroprevalence ranging from 0.0 to 88.2 %. Anti-CCHFV antibodies were found in 1,026 of 5,291 wild boar (19.4 %; 95 % confidence interval: 18.3–20.5 %), with highest exposure rates in southwestern Iberia. The most relevant predictors of virus exposure risk were wild boar abundance, local rainfall regime, shrub cover, winter air temperature and soil temperature variation. The spatial projection of the best-fit model identified high-risk foci as occurring in most of western and southwestern Iberia and identified recently confirmed risk foci in eastern Spain. The results of the study demonstrate that serological surveys of CCHFV vector hosts are a powerful, robust and highly informative tool for public health authorities to take action to prevent human cases of CCHF in enzootic and emergency settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hemotropic mycoplasmas described in African bats for the first time. • 5 genotypes in 35 % of 90 bats in 5 regions of Nigeria. • Sequences related to other bat and rodent sequences and to C. M. haemohominis. • Network analysis showed genetic structure of sequences among bat species. • Some Genotypes shared among bats of different taxonomic groups and distant areas. The presence of DNA of hemotropic mycoplasmas (hemoplasmas) was investigated for the first time in bats in Africa. Blood samples from 90 bats captured within or near human settlements in nine study areas from five states in Nigeria belonging to six genera of the families Pteropodidae, Rhinolophidae, and Molossidae were analyzed using conventional PCR protocol targeting a 391 bp part of the 16S rRNA gene. Of these, 32 samples (35 %) resulted positive. Eight nucleotide sequence types were identified, which were assigned to five genotypes showing between 93–99 % similarity with hemoplasmas from bats and/or rodents from other parts of the world, and/or Candidatus Mycoplasma haemohominis from a human patient. Network analysis showed genetic structure of hemoplasma sequences among bat species, but some sequences were shared among bats of different taxonomic groups and distant study areas. Further characterization of the samples using a protocol targeting ∼1200 bp of the 16S rRNA gene resulted in seven sequences that confirmed the results of the screening protocol. Hemoplasmas in Nigerian bats are prevalent, widely distributed and genetically diverse. The zoonotic risk to local inhabitants should not be neglected, due to the high similarity of some of the retrieved sequences with the human pathogen C. M. haemohominis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 55 bats of 5 species sampled in 3 regions in Chile. • 38 % DNA positive for Bartonella sp. • Characterization revealed genotypes related with worldwide bat Bartonella. • 9% DNA positive for Coxiella burnetii , being the first detection in any Chilean wild animal. • All samples negative for Rickettsia DNA. Intracellular pathogens were investigated for the first time in 55 Chilean bats belonging to six species. Using a conventional PCR protocol targeting a fragment of the ITS region, 21 bats (38 %) were positive for DNA of Bartonella sp. Molecular characterization of fragments of the gltA , rpoB and fstZ genes and subsequent phylogenetic analysis indicated the presence of diverse genotypes related to Bartonella from bats worldwide. DNA from C. burnetii was investigated using a real-time PCR (qPCR) protocol targeting the IS1111 gene and yielded positive results for 5 individuals (9%), being the first report of C. burnetii in wildlife in Chile. All bats were negative for Rickettsia sp., evaluated by qPCR for the gltA gene, confirming that bats do not act as important reservoirs for Rickettsia. This preliminary survey calls for more comprehensive studies on the epidemiology of these agents, including larger sample sizes, the evaluation of potential transmission routes and spillover potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]