Antigenic and molecular evidence of Brucella sp.-associated epididymo-orchitis in frugivorous (Artibeus lituratus) and nectarivorous (Glossophaga soricina) bats in Brazil

Laice A Silva; Monique F S Souza; Camila G Torquetti; Daniele C O Freitas; Larissa G A Moreira; Thaynara P Carvalho; Clarissa H Santana; Julia R Thompson; Daniela C O Rosa; Tatiana R Jesus; Tatiane A Paixão; Renato L Santos

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1235299

Antigenic and molecular evidence of Brucella sp.-associated epididymo-orchitis in frugivorous (Artibeus lituratus) and nectarivorous (Glossophaga soricina) bats in Brazil

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Aug 28:10:1235299. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1235299. eCollection 2023.

Affiliations

¹ Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
² Sete Soluções e Tecnologia Ambiental, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
³ Departamento de Patologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Abstract

This study included 47 free-ranging bats from the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Six bats (12.8%) had genital inflammatory lesions, and two of them (one Artibeus lituratus and one Glossophaga soricina, a frugivorous and a nectarivorous, respectively) were diagnosed with Brucella sp. infection through PCR, and antigens in intralesional macrophages were detected using immunohistochemistry.

Keywords: Artibeus lituratus; Brucella; Glossophaga soricina; bats; brucellosis; epididymitis; orchitis.

Grants and funding

The study in RS laboratory was supported by CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil), FAPEMIG (Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais, Brazil), and CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil).