{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T06:03:15Z","timestamp":1782280995171,"version":"3.54.5"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,1]]},"group-title":"Microbiology","reference-count":38,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,1]],"date-time":"2025-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1743465600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,31]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  Caves serve as natural reservoirs for diverse microbial species due to their unique biotic and abiotic conditions.\n                  <jats:italic>Histoplasma<\/jats:italic>\n                  spp. is frequently associated with guano-enriched soil, low luminosity, and high humidity, particularly in Latin America, a region highly endemic for histoplasmosis. Despite the continent\u2019s diverse biomes, local environmental and host distributions of\n                  <jats:italic>Histoplasma<\/jats:italic>\n                  remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a\n                  <jats:italic>Histoplasma<\/jats:italic>\n                  -specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay targeting the\n                  <jats:italic>hc100<\/jats:italic>\n                  gene on guano samples from seven bat-inhabited caves and tissue samples from 74 bats of nine species in the Federal District of Brazil and surround-ing regions. We detected\n                  <jats:italic>Histoplasma<\/jats:italic>\n                  DNA in 16 of 80 soil samples (20%) and in 33 bats representing seven species. Among 222 tissue samples (74 lung, 74 spleen, 74 brain), 39 tested positive: 22 lung, 10 spleen, and 7 brain samples. Four bats had\n                  <jats:italic>Histoplasma<\/jats:italic>\n                  DNA in both lung and brain, and two in both lung and spleen. By mapping the presence of\n                  <jats:italic>Histoplasma<\/jats:italic>\n                  across sampled caves, we identified environmental hotspots of fungal prevalence, emphasizing the need for targeted surveillance.\n                <\/jats:p>\n                <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Importance<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    Our study provides critical insights into the environmental and host distribution of\n                    <jats:italic>Histoplasma<\/jats:italic>\n                    spp. in Brazil, identifying caves with high fungal prevalence and demonstrating its presence in multiple bat species. These findings underscore the necessity of public health interventions to mitigate the risk of histoplasmosis among cave visitors in the region. Additionally, we highlight the utility of qPCR for detecting\n                    <jats:italic>Histoplasma<\/jats:italic>\n                    in environmental and biological samples, supporting future epidemiological research in Latin America.\n                  <\/jats:p>\n                <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1101\/2025.03.31.641930","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,1]],"date-time":"2025-04-01T12:30:37Z","timestamp":1743510637000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Mapping Histoplasma in Bats and Cave Ecosystems: Evidence from Midwestern Brazil"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Jo\u00e3o Paulo Romualdo Alarc\u00e3o","family":"Bernardes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Tropical Medicine Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bras\u00edlia Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Bras\u00edlia 70910-900, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bernardo Guerra","family":"Ten\u00f3rio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tropical Medicine Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bras\u00edlia Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Bras\u00edlia 70910-900, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"suffix":"Jr.","given":"Joaquim","family":"Lucas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Bras\u00edlia 70904-130, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carlos Emilio Molano","family":"Paternina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Bras\u00edlia Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Bras\u00edlia 70910-900, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Regianne Kelly Moreira da","family":"Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Espeleo Planalto Central (EPC), SIG Quadra 1, Lot 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Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paulo Henrique Rosado","family":"Arenas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Espeleo Planalto Central (EPC), SIG Quadra 1, Lot 985, Room 311, Bras\u00edlia 70610-410, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Igor Daniel","family":"Bueno-Rocha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Bat Biology and Conservation, Department of Zo-ology, Institute of Biology, University of Bras\u00edlia Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Bras\u00edlia, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Edvard Dias","family":"Magalh\u00e3es","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Espeleo Grupo de Bras\u00edlia (EGB), Cl\u00e1udio Coutinho Aquatic Complex, Room BA 06, Bras\u00edlia 70070-707, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Herdson Renney","family":"de Sousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tropical Medicine Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bras\u00edlia Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Bras\u00edlia 70910-900, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hugo Costa","family":"Paes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tropical Medicine Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bras\u00edlia Darcy Ribeiro Campus, Bras\u00edlia 70910-900, DF, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rosely Maria","family":"Zancop\u00e9-Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mycology Laboratory, Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (INI\/Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7597-602X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel 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