Metagenomic enables the first detection of Trypanosoma sp. in Streblidae (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea) parasitizing bats in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract

Bats play important ecological roles but also can carry various pathogens, including trypanosomatids. This study reports the first detection of Trypanosoma sp. in flies from the Streblidae family parasitizing Carollia perspicillata bats in a peri-urban fragment of the Atlantic Forest in Sao Paulo. Using shotgun metagenomics, we detected Trypanosoma sequences in half of the fly samples analyzed. Phylogenetic analysis showed these sequences belong to the Neobat 4 clade, previously reported in Carollia sp. bats. Although streblid flies ability to transmit Trypanosoma is still unknown, their close connection with bats means they might be used as a non-invasive way to monitor pathogens when bat sampling is difficult. More research is needed, but this work expands what we know about the Neobat 4 clades geographic distribution and parasite circulation in bats and their ectoparasites.