Currently, bats make up 20% of mammalian species, their ability to disperse and colonize new niches has exposed them to different protozoa, such as species of the genera Trypanosoma and Leishmania. There are few studies that relate the co-infection of both genders of parasites in bats, so the aim of this work is to detect Trypanosoma and Leishmania DNA in bats from the department of Casanare, Colombia and to establish the frequency of infection of both genders. From the 172 collected specimens, only 18 were infected by both Trypanosoma and Leishmania; these bats belong to the species Phyllostomus hastatus, Myotis spp. and Carollia perspicillata. The total number of bats infected with Trypanosoma spp. were 63 and 20 for Leishmania spp.. This study reinforces the importance of bats as reservoirs of two kinetoplastids that cause endemic diseases in Colombia.
publication date
February 16, 2021 6:29 PM
Research
keywords
Leishmania in Bats
Presence of parasites responsible for diseases in bats
