Rabies virus, Bartonella koehlerae and Leishmania infantum coinfection in a black Myotis (Myotis nigricans) from southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of important zoonotic agents in Brazil in urban bats and to evaluate the existence of coinfections in bats diagnosed with rabies. In 2021, organ samples from 52 bats from urban areas in southeastern Brazil were used to diagnose rabies and other zoonoses occurring in the region. The positive samples were sequenced, characterized and included in GenBank. A co-infection involving the rabies virus, Bartonella koehlerae, and Leishmania infantum was identified in a Black Myotis bat collected from a household in São Manuel, a city endemic for visceral leishmaniasis. Phylogenetic analysis showed similarity between the RABV sequence obtained and reference sequences from humans and wild canids, as well as confirming the identity of the Bartonella and Leishmania species detected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a bat co-infected with rabies virus, B. koehlerae, and L. infantum. The co-infection of three important pathogens in a Black Myotis highlights the multifaceted role of neotropical bats as reservoirs of zoonotic agents. This unprecedented finding reinforces the potential of these animals to contribute to the transmission dynamics of viral, bacterial and protozoan pathogens, and the importance of molecular surveillance in bats.