Molecular detection of Histoplasma capsulatum in insectivorous and frugivorous bats in Southeastern Brazil

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T15:57:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-11-01 Bats are considered to play a significant role in the epidemiology of histoplasmosis, worldwide. We investigated the occurrence of H. capsulatum in lung samples from 89 bats, from urban areas in Southeastern Brazil, using nested PCR based on ribosomal DNA. Fungal DNA was detected in 31/89 samples (34.8%), of which 13/31 were Molossids (41.9%), 4/31 Eumops spp. (12.9%), 2/31 Artibeus lituratus (6.5%), and 12/31 others (38.7%). This is the first report of natural infection by H. capsulatum in A. lituratus in Southeastern Brazil, which reinforces the importance of these synanthropic animals in the epidemiology of histoplasmosis in urban areas. School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine College of Veterinary Medicine Mississippi State University Institute of Biosciences UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista Department of Microbiology and Immunology Department of Public Health School of Medical Sciences State University of Campinas - UNICAMP Adolfo Lutz Institute Regional Laboratory of Bauru School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista Department of Veterinary Hygiene and Public Health Institute of Biosciences UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista Department of Microbiology and Immunology