Table Of ContentCaldasia 21 (2): 167-173
A KEY TO THE MICROFILARIAE OF THE GENUS
LITOMOSOIDES (PHYLUM NEMATODA), ENDOPARASITES
FROM COLOMBIAN BATS
J.
CORNELlS MARINKEllE
MARTHA Rocío GARCíA-CASTAÑEDA
Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Tropical, Departamento de Ciencias
Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, A.A. 4976, Bogotá, Colombia.
Resumen
Sepresenta unaclave paralaidentificación delasmicrofilarias deocho especies de
Litomosoides (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae) encontrados enlasangre de85 murcié-
lagos colombianos. Sereportan once nuevos hospederos deColombia paraL.brasi-
liensis, L. celiensis, L. colombiensis, L. guiterasi y L. molossi.
Palabras clave: Colombia, Litomosoides, Microfilarias, Murciélagos, Nemátodos.
Abstraet
A key is provided for the identification of eight species of microfilariae of Lito-
mosoides (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae) found in the blood of 85 Colombian bats.
Elevennew host records for Colombia arereported for L. brasiliensis, L. caliensis,
L. colombiensis, L. guiterasi and L. molossi.
Key words: Bats, Colombia, Litomosoides, Microfilarias, Nematodes.
been described. The MI' may be confused with
Introduction
other nematodes found in the blood. Esslinger
Filarial worms inhabit extraintestinal tissues or (1973) studied the genus Litomosoides in Colom-
body cavities of vertebrate hosts, and are oíten bian bats and described or redescribed seven spe-
difficult to locate. Adult Iernales excrete embryos cies in great detail. However, he often used pooled
which uncoil and are known as microfilariae (Mf). blood from alarge number ofbats for their descrip-
All Mf must develop in a specifie blood or Iymph- tion, thus he could not study the incidence of the
sucking arthropod vector. In appropriate vectors Mf.
the Mf metamorphose into first, second and third
Cuartas & Muñoz (1999) reported new host re-
larval stages. The infective third stage larvae mi-
ports for adult worms of L. artibei inArtibeus litu-
grate to the salivary glands ofthe vector and are in-
ratus, L. brasiliensis in Anoura caudifera and A.
jeeted into the final host's skin when the vector
geoffroyi andL. guiterasi inLonchophylla robusta.
takes its next blood meal,
They also Iound in the abdominal cavity adults of
The filarial genus Litomosoides Chandler 1931 Litomosoides caliensis in Sturnira lilium, L.
(Filariodea: Onchocercidae) infects only bats and chandleri in Artibeusjamaicensis, L. guiterasi in
rodents (Oryzomys, Proechimys, Sigmodon] inthe A. jamaicensis and Glossophaga soricina and
Western Hemisphere; its vector is unknown but Lonchophylla robusta and Litomosoides teshi in
mites havc been infected experimentally (Ander- Carollia perspicillata. However, they did not
son 1992), and no pathogenic cffect on the host has assay for Mf. Given that the lack 01'studies 01'in-
168 Caldasia Vol. 21, No. 2, 1999
cidence ofMf isdue inpart todifficulties 01'identi- A Key to the Microfilariae ofLitomosoides in
fication, our purpose in this papcr is to produce a blood from Colombian bats
practical kcy to the Mf of Litomosoides present in
the blood of common Colombian bats. All rncasurements are of total length in microrne-
tcrs (um); the arithmetical mean is given in
brackets.
Materials and methods
l. Mfshorter than 80 ,. 2
All bats were collected with mist nets suspended
1'. Mflargerthan 80 .4
bctwccn trees, and were transported alive toBogotá
Iorcxarnination. Blood obtained Irorn 1030 bats by
2. Tail curved at tip; terminal nucleus ovoid or
cardiac puncture was conccntrated by Knou's
spheroid and slightly larger then thc other nu-
method asdcscribcd previously (Marinkcllc &Ger-
clci .L.chandleri
man 1970); 0.2 mI ofblood were added lo an cqual
amount of 1% aqueous solution 01'formol and cen- 2'. Tailnotcurved 3
trifugcd for 4 minutes at 500 g. Thc scdirnent was
cxarnincd for Mf and was srneared on slides, air 3. Body fusiforrn, widcst in the rniddlc; 2termi-
dried, ethanol fixcd ancl stained with hemato- nal nuclci pyriforrn, body length 45 to 58 (52)
xylin-eosin and 10% Giernsa solution. Only well .................................................... .L. guiterasi
stained M1' were studied. Measurernents were
3'. Body not fusiform; 3 lo 4 terminal nuclci
rnade by means of acalibrated ocular rnicrometer.
round, not rcaching tip 01'tail; nuclci anterior
To facilitare rapid identification, asimple key was
to ncrvc ring oftcn touching cach other, body
prepared.
length 53 to65 (60) L.callensis
4. Tail not filarncntous with round tip, S-shaped,
Results
doublc flexed; terminal nuclcus pyri forrn,
touching tip 01' tail; body lcngth 97 to 108
All MI' were easily idcntificd using the key. The
(I02) .L. artibei
typical shapc olthc Mf (fig. 1)could only be obscr-
ved when the blood had becn concentrated by Kno- 4'. Tail filamcntous with pointed tip 5
tt's technique. Parasitcmia was always low and 19
out (J1'40 bat specics harborcd M1' of the eight spe- 5. Terminal muclcus round; 2 01' 3 minute
cies of Litomosoides (L. artibei Esslinger 1973; L. granulc-Iike nuclei not touching tipo Body
brasiliensis Lins de Almeida 1936; L. caliensis lcngth 75 lo 109 (96) .L. teshi
Esslinger 1973; L. chandleri Esslinger 1973; L. co-
5'. Terminal nucleuselongated 6
lontbiensis Esslinger 1973; L. guiterasi (Viguetas
1934) Sandground 1934; L. molossi Esslinger
6. Terminal nuclei 3 to 5, nearly touching cach
1973; L. teshi Esslinger 1973) previously recordcd
othcr: terminal nuclcus rcaching tip 01'tail,
by Esslinger (1973) and Cuartas &Muñoz (1999)
body length 85 to 102(92) .L.molossi
from Colombian bats (Tablc 1).
6'. Terminal nuclci 1or2 7
All wcll-staincd Mf could be identified using only
él few thc charactcristics mentioned by Esslinger 7. Tail abruptly narrowed bcyond the anal porc,
(1973). Sorne small differcnces in rneasurcmcnts onc terminal nucJcus isfour times longer than
were Iound. Only 30 to 40'1<)01' the observcd MI' the diarnctcr 0(' thc other nuclei and some-
wcrc wcll staincd and in an optimal position, times constricted in thc middle; body Jcngth
allowing observation of all thc nccessary details. 100 to 125 (115) .L.colombiensis
Marinkelle &García: Key to microfilariae of Litomosoides from bats 169
e
?
~'S:J'·fmi>::s,!j:::t'i:'~"·'::".r;é1.A
A N S
9
~ .'t.::rztjí':.~~'\tíIO';'Nd··'¡:&:F.:"14CL·fi·N::QS:::>
A E N
h r--¡-¡j'
;r;.w.';'i··Jif-y'~?
~-C~ •••
A E N 5
Figure l. Camera lucida drawings of microfilariae of spccics of Litosonioidcs (bar is 10micrometcrs). a.L.guitcrasi,
h.L.chandleri. c.L.callrnsis, d.L.molossi. e.L.teshi, r.L.artibci, g.L.colombiensis, h.L.brasiliensis. A: anal porc,
E: cxcrciory cell, N: ncrvc ring, S: sheet.
170 Caldasia Vol. 21, No, 2, 1999
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Marinkelle &Garcia: Key to microfilariae of Litomosoides from bats 171
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172 Caldasia Vol. 21, No. 2, 1999
7'. Tail not abruptly narrowcd bcyond thc anal vely. AII thc rccords 01' adult Litomosoidcs of
porc, lwo terminal nuclci, their length twicc Cuartas & Muñoz (1999) wcrc Irorn phyllostornid
thcir width and not touching thc tip ofthe tail; bats (but they clid not Iind L. molossiv; outside 01'
body length 81 to 104 Colombia, all othcr rccords of litosomoicls except
(92) .L.brasiliensis thosc cited aboye also have bccn cxclusivcly frorn
phyllostomid bats.
Ncw hosts récords for MI' are L. brasiliensis for
Carollia castanea, Phvllostotnus discolor, Pe/o/!-
Acknowlcdgmcnts
gatus and P liastatus; L. guiterasi rol' Anoum
geoffi'oyi and Glossophaga longirostris: L. calien-
This work was supported by granl 1204-05-191-94
sis for Sturnira tildae; L. colomhicnsis for
frorn COLCIENCIAS, Colombia. Cornmcnts by
Platyrrtiinus helleri and L. molossi for Eumops
an anonymous rcvicwcr hclpcd to improve thc rna-
perotis, Molossus bondae and Myotis nigricans.
nuscript.
Discussion
Litcraturc cited
L. artibe¡ Irorn Artibeus cincreus and L. cO{O/1l-
ANDERSONR,. C. 1992. Nematodo Parasites ofVer-
bicnsis Irorn A.jamaicensis wcrc rcportcd by Ess-
tcbratcs. Thcir Development and Transmis-
linger (1973) Irom Colombia, but were not found
slon. CAB Intcrnational UK.
in thcsc hosts during the prcscnt study nor by Cuar-
Bxnus. V. & M.T. DEL VJ\LLE. 1967. Systematic
las y Muñoz (1999). Thesc authors rccovered
survcy of ncmatodes parasitizing bats (Chi-
adults ofL. artibei frorn Artibeus lituratus but they
roptera) in Cuba. Folia Parasitologica
die! not examine the bats for Mf.
14:124-140.
CJ\BJ\LLEROy CJ\BJ\LLERO,E. 1939. A ncw filariid
Additional host records 01' Litomosoides írom bats
worm Irom Mcxican bats. Transactions ofthc
trom othcr countries are: L. brasiliensis Irorn G.
American Microscopical Society 58:456-
soricina inBrazil (Rego 1961), Mvotis sp. inBrazil
(Lins de Almeida 1936) and Phvllostonius sp. in 458.
CJ\BJ\LLEROyCABJ\LLEROE.. 1947. Algunas Iilarias
Venezuela (Dfaz-Ungría 1963); L. guiterasi Irorn
de mamíferos y reptiles de las Repúblicas de
G.soricina in Brazil (Sane!ground 1934) and Me-
Colombia y Panamá. Anales del Instituto de
xico (Chitwood 1938), Nyctonomops laticauda
Biología (México) 18:169-1XX.
and Tadarida brasiliensis in Cuba (Barus & del
Valle 19(7), A jamaicensis in Cuba (Barus & del CUARTJ\S-CALLEC.. A. & J. MUÑoz-ARANCiO.1999.
Valle 19(7); L.fósteri Caballero &Caballero 1947 Nematodos en lacavidad abdominal yel trac-
frorn G. soricina in Panama; L. leonilavazquerae to digestivo de algunos murciélagos colom-
bianos. Caldasia 21: 10-25.
Caballero & Caballero 1939 from Macrotus mexi-
canus in Mcxico and Litomosoides sp. found inA. CHITWOOIl,B.G. 1938. Sorne ncmatodes írorn thc
jamaicensis in Mexico (Chitwood 1938). caves 01' Yucatan. Carnegie Instituto Wa-
shington Puhlications 49 I:51-66.
It appcars that a moderare degree 01' host spcci Ii- DÍAz-UNGRÍJ\,e 1963. Nérnatodcs parasitcs, nou-
city in bat spccics has cvolvcd in thc genus Lito- vcaux ou intércssants du Vénézuéla. Anuales
ides. L. molossi was thc only species de Parasitologie humane ct corn parc
!Il 0.1'0
é
rccovcred exclusivcly írom vcspertilionids and 38:X93-913.
molossids, while L. guiterasi and L. brasiliensis ESSLlNGER.l. H. 1973. The gcnus Litoniosoides
llave bcen foundin both vespertilionie! and Chandlcr, 1931 (Filariodca: Oncbocercidac)
phyllostornid bats in Cuba (Barus & del Valle inColornbian bats and rats. Journal ofParasi-
1%7)and Brazil (Lins de Alrneida 1936), rcspccti- tology 9:225-246.
In
Marinkelle &Gareía: Key lo mierofilariae of Litomosoides from bats
LINSDEALMEIDAJ,. 1936. Sobre UIllnovo parásitio Filarioidca). Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo
de cheiroptcros. O Campo 7:40. Cruz 59: 1-9.
MARINKELLEC, J. & E. GERMAN.1970. Mansonc- SANDGROUNDJ..H. 1934. Description of a specles
lliasis in the Comisaría del Vaupés 01'Colom- 01' the filari id genus Litomosoides Irorn
bia. Tropical and Geographical Medicine Glossophaga soricina. Annual Magazine of
22:101-111. Natural History Series 10. 14:595-599.
RECiO. A.A. 1961. Sóbre algunas especies do gene-
ro Litomosoides Chandlcr, 1931 (Nernatoda,
Recibido el 26 de mayo de 1998
Versión final aceptada ella dejunio de 1999
