Bats are recognized as key reservoir hosts for a variety of trypanosomes, yet their full diversity and host associations remain underexplored in Africa. In this study, we investigated the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of trypanosomes infecting bats in Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR) using molecular tools. A total of 22 distinct genotypes were identified, clustering into seven well-supported phylogroups, including known species such as Trypanosoma dionisii, T. livingstonei, T. vespertilionis, and T. erneyi, alongside several novel lineages. Notably, T. erneyi was restricted to Mops condylurus, reaffirming its narrow host specificity. Phylogenetic analyses revealed substantial intraspecific diversity in T. livingstonei and T. vespertilionis, suggesting potential cryptic species, while T. dionisii exhibited limited genetic divergence across a broad geographic range. Intriguingly, a unique and highly diverse phylogroup was detected exclusively in fruit bats (Pteropodidae) from Uganda, closely related to the Australian T. teixeirae, and likely represents a novel species. The absence of trypanosomes in fruit bats from CAR, despite similar sampling effort, hints at ecological or evolutionary factors shaping parasite distribution. Our findings expand the current knowledge of bat-trypanosome diversity and highlight the importance of African bat populations in understanding the evolutionary dynamics of trypanosomes.

Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development Institute of Pest Management Centre Sokoine University of Agriculture Morogoro Tanzania

African Parks Johannesburg South Africa

Department of Parasitology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Department of Zoology Entomology and Fisheries Science Makerere University Kampala Uganda

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic

Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic

University of Bangui Bangui Central African Republic

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Aregawi WG, Agga GE, Abdi RD, Büscher P (2019) Systematic review and meta-analysis on the global distribution, host range, and prevalence of Trypanosoma evansi. Parasit Vectors 12:67. 10.1186/s13071-019-3311-4

Austen JM, Barbosa AD (2021) Diversity and epidemiology of bat trypanosomes: a one health perspective. Pathogens 10(9):1148 PubMed PMC

Babyesiza WS, Katakweba A, Fornůsková A, Ssuunaf J, Akoth S, Mpagi J, Goüy de Bellocq J, Bryja J, Votýpka J (2024) Trypanosome diversity in small mammals in Uganda and the spread of

Berrang-Ford L, Odiit M, Maiso F, Waltner-Toews D, McDermott J (2006) Sleeping sickness in Uganda: revisiting current and historical distributions. Afr Health Sci 6(4):223–231 PubMed PMC

Brook CE, Dobson AP (2015) Bats as ‘special’ reservoirs for emerging zoonotic pathogens. Trends Microbiol 23(3):172–180 PubMed PMC

Bryja J, Mikula O, Šumbera R, Meheretu Y, Aghová T, Lavrenchenko LA, Mazoch V, Oguge N, Mbau JS, Welegerima K, Amundala N, Colyn M, Leirs H, Verheyen E (2014) Pan-African phylogeny of PubMed PMC

Burgin CJ, Colella JP, Kahn PL, Upham NS (2018) How many species of mammals are there? J Mammal 99:1–11

Castillo-Castañeda AC, Patiño LH, Zuñiga MF, Cantillo-Barraza O, Ayala MS, Segura M, Bautista J, Urbano P, Jaimes-Dueñez J, Ramírez JD (2022) An overview of the trypanosomatid (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) parasites infecting several mammal species in Colombia. Parasit Vectors 15(1):471 PubMed PMC

Cavazzana M, Marcili A, Lima L, da Silva FM, Junqueira ÂCV, Veludo HH, Viola LB, Campaner M, Nunes VLB, Paiva F, Coura JR, Camargo EP, Teixeira MMG (2010) Phylogeographical, ecological and biological patterns shown by nuclear (ssrRNA and gGAPDH) and mitochondrial (Cyt b) genes of trypanosomes of the subgenus PubMed

Dario MA, Lisboa CV, Costa LM, Moratelli R, Nascimento MP, Costa LP, Leite YLR, Llewellyn MS, Xavier SCDC, Roque ALR, Jansen AM (2017) High PubMed PMC

Dario MA, Pavan MG, Rodrigues MS, Lisboa CV, Kluyber D, Desbiez ALJ, Herrera HM, Roque ALR, Lima L, Teixeira MMG, Jansen AM (2021) PubMed PMC

Dos Santos FCB, Lisboa CV, Xavier SCC, Dario MA, Verde RS, Calouro AM, Roque ALR, Jansen AM (2018) Trypanosoma sp. diversity in Amazonian bats (Chiroptera; Mammalia) from Acre State, Brazil. Parasitology 145(6):828–837 PubMed

Franco JR, Cecchi G, Paone M, Diarra A, Grout L, Ebeja AK, Simarro PP, Zhao W, Argaw D (2022) The elimination of human African trypanosomiasis: achievements in relation to WHO road map targets for 2020. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 16(1):e0010047 PubMed PMC

Hamilton PB, Stevens JR, Gaunt MW, Gidley J, Gibson WC (2004) Trypanosomes are monophyletic: evidence from genes for glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase and small subunit ribosomal RNA. Int J Parasitol 34(12):1393–1404 PubMed

Hamilton PB, Teixeira MMG, Stevens JR (2012) The evolution of PubMed

Juárez-Gabriel J, Alegría-Sánchez D, Yáñez-Aguirre D, Grostieta E, Álvarez-Castillo L, Torres-Castro M, Aréchiga-Ceballos N, Moo-Llanes DA, Alves FM, Pérez-Brígido CD, Aguilar-Tipacamú G, López González CA, Becker I, Pech-Canché JM, Colunga-Salas P, Sánchez-Montes S (2024) Unraveling the diversity of PubMed

Kostygov AY, Karnkowska A, Votýpka J, Tashyreva D, Maciszewski K, Yurchenko V, Lukeš J (2021) Euglenozoa: Taxonomy, diversity and ecology, symbioses and viruses. Open Biol 2021(11):200407

Kunz TH, Braun de Torrez E, Bauer D, Lobova T, Fleming TH (2011) Ecosystem services provided by bats. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1223:1–38 PubMed

Lima L, Silva FM, Neves L, Attias M, Takata CS, Campaner M, de Souza W, Hamilton PB, Teixeira MM (2012) Evolutionary insights from bat trypanosomes: morphological, developmental and phylogenetic evidence of a new species, PubMed

Lima L, Espinosa-Álvarez O, Hamilton PB, Neves L, Takata CS, Campaner M, Attias M, de Souza W, Camargo EP, Teixeira MM (2013) PubMed PMC

Linder HP, de Klerk HMD, Born J, Burgess ND, Fjeldså J, Rahbek C (2012) The partitioning of Africa: statistically defined biogeographical regions in sub-Saharan Africa. J Biogeogr 39:1189–1205

Ramírez JD, Tapia-Calle G, Muñoz-Cruz G, Poveda C, Rendón LM, Hincapié E, Guhl F (2014) Trypanosome species in neo-tropical bats: biological, evolutionary and epidemiological implications. Infect Genet Evol 22:250–256 PubMed PMC

Riana E, Arnuphapprasert A, Narapakdeesakul D, Ngamprasertwong T, Wangthongchaicharoen M, Soisook P, Bhodhibundit P, Kaewthamasorn M (2022) Molecular detection of PubMed PMC

Schlitter D, Robbins L, Buchanan SA (1982) Bats of the Central African Republic (Mammalia: Chiroptera). Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 10.5962/P.330741

Seward EA, Votýpka J, Kment P, Lukeš J, Kelly S (2017) Description of PubMed

Simmons NB, Cirranello AL (2020) Bat species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic database. https://www.batnames.org. Accessed 22 May 2020

Thiombiano NG, Boungou M, Chabi BAM, Oueda A, Werb O, Schaer J (2023) First investigation of blood parasites of bats in Burkina Faso detects PubMed PMC

Tsague KJA, Bakwo Fils EM, Atagana JP, Mbeng DW, Palm L, Tchuinkam T, Schaer J (2024) Molecular detection of trypanosomes of the PubMed PMC

Welburn SC, Molyneux DH, Maudlin I (2016) Beyond tsetse—implications for research and control of human African trypanosomiasis epidemics. Trends Parasitol 32:230–241 PubMed