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Molossinema wimsatti infection in the brain of Pallas's mastiff bats (Molossus molossus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2021

E.P.F. de Souto Open the ORCID record for E.P.F. de Souto [Opens in a new window] ,
A.M. Oliveira ,
É.M. Campos ,
V.L.R. Vilela ,
C.S.L. de Barros ,
A.F.M. Dantas  and
G.J. Nogueira de Galiza
E.P.F. de Souto*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Federal University of Campina Grande, Patos, Paraiba, Brazil
A.M. Oliveira
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Federal University of Campina Grande, Patos, Paraiba, Brazil
É.M. Campos
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Federal University of Campina Grande, Patos, Paraiba, Brazil
V.L.R. Vilela
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Federal Institute of Paraiba, Sousa, Paraiba, Brazil
C.S.L. de Barros
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Anatomic Pathology, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
A.F.M. Dantas
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Federal University of Campina Grande, Patos, Paraiba, Brazil
G.J. Nogueira de Galiza
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Federal University of Campina Grande, Patos, Paraiba, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: E.P.F. de Souto, E-mail: erickplatini@gmail.com
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Abstract

The present report describes two cases of infection by Molossinema wimsatti in the brain of Pallas's mastiff bats (Molossus molossus). The first bat was captured and killed by a domestic cat in a suburban area of the municipality of Patos, Paraiba, northeastern Brazil. The second bat was found crawling on the ground in the same area before dying. No gross lesions were found at necropsy. Histology of the central nervous system revealed filarioid nematodes in the brain ventricles and cerebellum. There were adults, subadults and eggs, the latter sometimes containing microfilariae. No inflammatory response was observed in bat 1, while bat 2 presented a mild lymphoplasmacytic meningoencephalitis. Three nematodes were recovered and submitted for parasitological examination. The diagnosis of M. wimsatti infection was based on the histomorphological and parasitological characteristics of the agent and its location in the brain ventricular system of insectivorous bats. The infection likely occurs in other insectivorous bats from South American and Caribbean countries but may be overlooked.

Keywords

Chiropteran infectionsnervous systemnematodeMolossinema wimsatti
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 95 , 2021 , e65
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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