Viral Diversity, Prey Preference, and Bartonella Prevalence in Desmodus rotundus in Guatemala.

ABSTRACT: Certain bat species serve as natural reservoirs for pathogens in several key viral families including henipa-, lyssa-, corona-, and filoviruses, which may pose serious threats to human health. The Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus), due to its abundance, sanguivorous feeding habit involving humans and domestic animals, and highly social behavioral ecology, may have an unusually high potential for interspecies disease transmission. Previous studies have investigated rabies dynamics in D. rotundus, yet the diversity of other viruses, bacteria, and other microbes that these bats may carry remains largely unknown. We screened 396 blood, urine, saliva, and fecal samples from D. rotundus captured in Guatemala for 13 viral families and genera. Positive results were found for rhabdovirus, aden

SUBMITTER: Wray AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5164864 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature