Novel Bat Trypanosoma Lineages, Range Expansion of Known Species, and the Habitat- Specialist T. cruzi IV: Evidence from a Conserved Tropical Forest in Southeastern Mexico

Novel Bat Trypanosoma Lineages, Range Expansion of Known Species, and the Habitat- Specialist T. cruzi IV: Evidence from a Conserved Tropical Forest in Southeastern Mexico | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Novel Bat Trypanosoma Lineages, Range Expansion of Known Species, and the Habitat- Specialist T. cruzi IV: Evidence from a Conserved Tropical Forest in Southeastern Mexico Martha P. Ibarra-López, Román Espinal-Palomino, César R. Rodriguez-Luna, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7782276/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Parasitology Research → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Trypanosomatids of the Schizotrypanum clade display high ecological and evolutionary diversity, yet their sylvatic cycles remain understudied in many Neotropical biomes. We conducted the first integrative molecular survey of Trypanosoma diversity in a conserved seasonal tropical forest in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Using satellite DNA (SatDNA), miniexon PCR, and 18S rRNA sequencing, we screened vectors, including insects ( Triatoma dimidiata ), rodents, and bats. Trypanosoma cruzi was detected at high prevalence in vectors (81.8%; 95% CI: 75.07–87.38%) and moderate to high levels in rodents (46.6%; 95% CI: 36.7–56.7%) and bats (46.2%; 95% CI: 38.56–53.97%), including frugivorous, insectivorous, and hematophagous species. Discrete typing unit (DTU) analysis showed T. cruzi DTU IV (TcIV) predominating in vectors and rodents, while TcI was more frequent in bats. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on 18S rRNA revealed multiple cryptic bat-associated lineages, including sequences related to T. wauwau , T. madeirae , and Neobat clades—reported here for the first time in Mexico. Our results underscore the role of protected forests as reservoirs of trypanosomatid diversity and the relevance of multi-host surveillance to better understand transmission dynamics. This study contributes novel insights into the ecology, biogeography, and evolutionary history of Trypanosoma spp. in Mesoamerica and supports efforts to strengthen early detection of potential zoonotic threats. Bats Sylvatic transmission Triatoma dimidiata Phylogenetics Tropical dry forest American tripanosomiasis Mesoamerica Schizotrypanum clade Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SuplementarymaterialGels.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Apr, 2026 Read the published version in Parasitology Research → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 09 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 08 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 01 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 30 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 14 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 14 Oct, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 04 Oct, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7782276","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":534585664,"identity":"43a16829-f5bd-40ad-9d23-4d03ca0df7ea","order_by":0,"name":"Martha P. 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Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Bats, Sylvatic transmission, Triatoma dimidiata, Phylogenetics, Tropical dry forest, American tripanosomiasis, Mesoamerica, Schizotrypanum clade","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7782276/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7782276/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eTrypanosomatids of the Schizotrypanum clade display high ecological and evolutionary diversity, yet their sylvatic cycles remain understudied in many Neotropical biomes. We conducted the first integrative molecular survey of \u003cem\u003eTrypanosoma\u003c/em\u003e diversity in a conserved seasonal tropical forest in the Yucat\u0026aacute;n Peninsula, Mexico. Using satellite DNA (SatDNA), miniexon PCR, and 18S rRNA sequencing, we screened vectors, including insects (\u003cem\u003eTriatoma dimidiata\u003c/em\u003e), rodents, and bats. \u003cem\u003eTrypanosoma cruzi\u003c/em\u003e was detected at high prevalence in vectors (81.8%; 95% CI: 75.07\u0026ndash;87.38%) and moderate to high levels in rodents (46.6%; 95% CI: 36.7\u0026ndash;56.7%) and bats (46.2%; 95% CI: 38.56\u0026ndash;53.97%), including frugivorous, insectivorous, and hematophagous species. Discrete typing unit (DTU) analysis showed \u003cem\u003eT. cruzi\u003c/em\u003e DTU IV (TcIV) predominating in vectors and rodents, while TcI was more frequent in bats. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on 18S rRNA revealed multiple cryptic bat-associated lineages, including sequences related to \u003cem\u003eT. wauwau\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eT. madeirae\u003c/em\u003e, and Neobat clades\u0026mdash;reported here for the first time in Mexico. Our results underscore the role of protected forests as reservoirs of trypanosomatid diversity and the relevance of multi-host surveillance to better understand transmission dynamics. This study contributes novel insights into the ecology, biogeography, and evolutionary history of \u003cem\u003eTrypanosoma\u003c/em\u003e spp. in Mesoamerica and supports efforts to strengthen early detection of potential zoonotic threats.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Novel Bat Trypanosoma Lineages, Range Expansion of Known Species, and the Habitat- Specialist T. cruzi IV: Evidence from a Conserved Tropical Forest in Southeastern Mexico","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-28 16:47:30","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7782276/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-11-09T13:40:33+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-08T18:46:02+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-11-01T14:54:29+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-10-30T23:54:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"264153137165943286329696532074245981876","date":"2025-10-20T22:13:11+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"3610576938077219421402242100804238834","date":"2025-10-16T19:46:48+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"292670000559724460780501733710889686172","date":"2025-10-16T16:07:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-10-14T15:46:54+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-10-14T12:13:47+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-10-14T08:28:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Parasitology Research","date":"2025-10-05T01:38:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"parasitology-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"pare","sideBox":"Learn more about [Parasitology Research](http://link.springer.com/journal/436)","snPcode":"436","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/436/3","title":"Parasitology Research","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ebaf21e6-a9b1-4ff0-8cfd-85ae2f281780","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 28th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-13T16:01:47+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7782276","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-026-08670-w","journal":{"identity":"parasitology-research","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Parasitology Research"},"publishedOn":"2026-04-10 15:58:44","publishedOnDateReadable":"April 10th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-28 16:47:30","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s00436-026-08670-w","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-026-08670-w","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7782276","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7782276","identity":"rs-7782276","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}