1
|
Rieger A, Just FT, Michelakaki E, Eddicks L, Gager AM, Schöl H, Gohl C, Steinmetz HW, Blutke AF, Denk D. Demodex carolliae in a colony of Seba's short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata): clinical, pathological and parasitological findings. J Comp Pathol 2023; 203:5-12. [PMID: 37119605 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2023.03.185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2023]
Abstract
Seba's short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata) are a frugivorous species native to Central and South America. Despite their importance as a reservoir for zoonotic pathogens and their popularity in zoological collection and as research models, there are relatively few reports on non-zoonotic diseases of bats. Mites of the genus Demodex are obligate commensals of the skin of a range of mammals, are highly host-specific and are not associated with clinical disease when present in low numbers. However, infestation with high numbers can result in severe or even fatal disease and substantially affect the well-being of the animals. The clinical, pathological and parasitological findings in 12 Seba's short-tailed bats with demodicosis from a colony kept at Munich Zoo Hellabrunn between 1992 and 2021 are described in this report. From 2002, skin lesions became apparent on the head, especially the periocular region, nose and ears, as well as the genital area of some animals. In advanced cases, skin changes were also present on the abdomen, back and extremities. Gross findings typically included alopecia and thickening of the skin, with the formation of papules, reflecting cystically dilated hair follicles containing myriads of demodecid mites. Histologically, lesions were characterized by a paucicellular lymphocytic dermatitis and folliculitis with perifollicular fibrosis, epidermal hyperplasia, orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis and disproportionately high numbers of intrafollicular arthropods. Demodex carolliae was identified morphologically by light, phase-contrast and electron microscopy. Further characterization was achieved by extraction of parasitic DNA and partial gene sequencing of two mitochondrial genes, 16S rDNA and cox1. This is the first clinicopathological description of generalized demodicosis in Seba's short-tailed bats and includes the first molecular characterization of D. carolliae with provision of a GenBank entry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Rieger
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Frank T Just
- Department for Pathology, Parasitology and Bee Diseases, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Veterinaerstrasse 2, 85764 Oberschleissheim, Germany
| | - Effrosyni Michelakaki
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Lina Eddicks
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Anna M Gager
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Heidrun Schöl
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Christine Gohl
- Münchener Tierpark Hellabrunn AG, Tierparkstr. 30, 81543 Munich, Germany
| | | | - Andreas F Blutke
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539 Munich, Germany
| | - Daniela Denk
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Center for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Veterinaerstr. 13, 80539 Munich, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Morello T, Kollmar R, Stewart M, Orman R. The retrosplenial cortex of Carollia perspicillata, Seba's short-tailed fruit bat. Hippocampus 2022; 32:752-764. [PMID: 36018284 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a brain region involved in critical cognitive functions including memory, planning, and spatial navigation and is commonly affected in neurodegenerative diseases. Subregions of RSC are typically described as Brodmann areas 29 and 30, which are defined by cytoarchitectural features. Using immunofluorescence, we studied the distributions of neurons immunoreactive for NeuN, latexin, and calcium binding proteins (calbindin, calretinin, and parvalbumin) in RSC of Carollia perspicillata, Seba's short-tailed fruit bat. We observed that latexin was specifically present in areas 29a and 29b but not 29c and 30. We further identified distribution patterns of calcium binding proteins that group areas 29a and 29b separately from areas 29c and 30. We conclude first that latexin is a useful marker to classify subregions of RSC and second that these subregions contain distinct patterns of neuronal immunoreactivity for calcium binding proteins. Given the long lifespan of Carollia, bat RSC may be a useful model in studying age-related neurodegeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Morello
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - Richard Kollmar
- Department of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA.,Department of Otolaryngology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - Mark Stewart
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA.,Department of Neurology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - Rena Orman
- Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|