Skin Microbiota Variation Among Bat Species in China and Their Potential Defense Against Pathogens.

ABSTRACT: Host-associated skin bacteria are essential for resisting pathogen infections and maintaining health. However, we have little understanding of how chiropteran skin microbiota are distributed among bat species and their habitats, or of their putative roles in defending against Pseudogymnoascus destructans in China. In this study, we characterized the skin microbiomes of four bat species at five localities using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to understand their skin microbial composition, structure, and putative relationship with disease. The alpha- and beta-diversities of skin microbiota differed significantly among the bat species, and the differences were affected by environmental temperature, sampling sites, and host body condition. The chiropteran skin microbial communities w

SUBMITTER: Li Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9009094 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature