First report of infection by <i>Debaryomyces</i> spp. in <i>Myotis velifer</i> (cave myotis) in Mexico

Tamayo, Héctor; Domínguez, Miguel A.; Acevedo, Luz María Ramírez; Pérez, Graciela E. González; García-Luis, Margarita; de la Rosa, Diego Pérez; Briones-Salas, Miguel

doi:10.2754/avb202190030301

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2021, Vol. 90 > Issue 3 > First report of infection by…

Acta Vet. Brno 2021, 90: 301-305

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb202190030301

First report of infection by Debaryomyces spp. in Myotis velifer (cave myotis) in Mexico

Héctor Tamayo^1,2, Miguel A. Domínguez², Luz María Ramírez Acevedo³, Graciela E. González Pérez¹, Margarita García-Luis^1,2, Diego Pérez de la Rosa⁴, Miguel Briones-Salas¹

¹Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), CIIDIR Unidad Oaxaca, Laboratorio de Vertebrados Terrestres, Municipio de Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Oaxaca, México
²Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Laboratorio de Genética Molecular y Zoonosis, Oaxaca, México
³Laboratorio Clínico Veterinario Especialista en Patología Clínica “DxVet”, Oaxaca, México
⁴Centro Nacional de Servicios de Constatación en Salud Animal, Jiutepec, Morelos, México

Received January 23, 2021
Accepted August 31, 2021

Interest in the study of mycotic diseases in bats has increased after the identification of bats affected by white-nose syndrome in the northern United States. In a temperate forest of the community of San Pedro Yolox, Ixtlán in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, Mexico, we collected bats of various species, including 13 specimens of Myotis velifer that showed lesions in the plagio- and uro-patagium. Clinical exploration, histopathological studies and molecular analysis were carried out to determine the causal agent of the lesions present in these individuals. It was determined that the cause was the pathogenic fungus Debaryomyces spp. The present study represents the first report of fungal infection in bats in southern Mexico.

Keywords

Bats, dermatomycosis, diseases, mammals, mycosis, pathogens.

Funding

The authors thank the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) México. This work was supported by the Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (SIP: 20180158). Furthermore, M. B-S thanks the Comisión de Operación y Fomento a las Actividades Académicas (COFAA) and the Programa de Estímulos al Desempeńo a la Investigación (EDI) at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional for their support, as well as the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI) for its recognition and support.