A Simple Yet Reliable 12S rRNA-Based Molecular Approach for Identifying Bat Species.

ABSTRACT: Bats (Chiroptera) represent nearly one-fifth of all mammalian species and play vital ecological roles as pollinators, pest controllers, and reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens. Accurate identification of bat species is essential for biodiversity monitoring, conservation, and disease surveillance. Traditional methods based on morphology or acoustic calls are often limited by overlapping features, while DNA barcoding using the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene can be hindered by sequence variability. In this study, we developed a simple, single-step PCR assay targeting a short, variable region of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. Alignment of sequences from 232 bat species allowed the design of a single primer pair producing a 203-224 bp amplicon that successfully distinguished all s

SUBMITTER: Barua S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12729680 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature