Information from the abstract
ABSTRACT Haemosporidian parasites are vector-borne protozoans that infect a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Among mammals, bats harbor species of at least seven recognized haemosporidian genera, including Plasmodium , Polychromophilus , and Nycteria , highlighting the remarkable diversity of these parasites in chiropteran hosts. Thailand is a major biodiversity hotspot, supporting more than 146 bat species and their associated pathogens. This study investigated haemosporidian parasites in bats sampled between 2023 and 2025, and bat flies collected between 2019 and 2022 in Thailand. Bat flies that tested positive were further analyzed to determine the origin of blood meals. In addition, the complete mitochondrial genome of Nycteria heischi from Megaderma spasma from Thailand was characterized for the first time. A total of 405 samples, comprising 285 bats representing 19 species and 120 bat flies belonging to five species, were collected from nine sampling sites across four provinces of Thailand. Most samples were obtained from Phra Cave in Kanchanaburi Province, accounting for 67.16% (272/405) of all analyzed specimens. Haemosporidian infections were detected most frequently in samples from Manow Phee Cave, where the bat-specific prevalence reached 62.0% (31/50 bats). Among the host species examined, Myotis siligorensis exhibited the highest species-specific prevalence, with 71.79% (28/39; 95% CI: 55.13–85.00%) testing positive for haemosporidian parasites. Among the successfully sequenced samples from M. spasma , Nycteria spp. represented 88.9% (8/9) of the identified haemosporidian sequences. In addition, the bat fly Brachytarsina macrops tested positive for haemosporidian parasites, which were identified as N. heischi ; however, host bat DNA was also detected in the same samples. This finding suggests that the bat flies had either recently fed on infected bats or retained parasite DNA from a previous blood meal. However, the present study does not provide evidence of established parasite infection within bat flies or their vector competence.
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Related topics: Bird parasitology and diseases · Vector-borne infectious diseases · Bartonella species infections research
Thai researcher and institutional participation
Pattaranatcha Charnwichai · Juthathip Poofery · Dimas Novianto · Siwaporn Tuangpermsub · Thongchai Ngamprasertwong · Morakot Kaewthamasorn · Chulalongkorn University
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