Parasite and viral species richness of Southeast Asian bats: Fragmentation of area distribution matters.

ABSTRACT: Interest in bat-borne diseases and parasites has grown in the past decade over concerns for human health. However, the drivers of parasite diversity among bat host species are understudied as are the links between parasite richness and emerging risks. Thus, we aimed at exploring factors that explain macro and microparasite species richness in bats from Southeast Asia, a hotspot of emerging infectious diseases. First, we identified bat species that need increased sampling effort for pathogen discovery. Our approach highlights pathogen investigation disparities among species within the same genus, such as Rhinolophus and Pteropus. Secondly, comparative analysis using independent contrasts method allowed the identification of likely factors explaining parasite and viral diversity of bats. Our

SUBMITTER: Gay N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4142259 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature