Prevalence and Diversity of Bartonella spp. in Bats in Peru

• Published in: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 87; no. 3; pp. 518 - 523
• Main Authors: YING BAI, RECUENCO, Sergio, TURMELLE GILBERT, Amy, OSIKOWICZ, Lynn M, GOMEZ, Jorge, RUPPRECHT, Charles, KOSOY, Michael Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Deerfield, IL American Society of Tropical Medecine and Hygiene 01.09.2012; The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Subjects: Animals; Bartonella; Bartonella - classification; Bartonella - genetics; Bartonella - isolation & purification; Bartonella Infections - epidemiology; Bartonella Infections - microbiology; Bartonella Infections - veterinary; Biological and medical sciences; Chiroptera - microbiology; Citrate (si)-Synthase - genetics; Desmodus rotundus; Erythrocytes; Genetic Variation; Infectious diseases; Medical sciences; Peru - epidemiology; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prevalence; Species Specificity; South America; Peru; America; Bartonella; Bacteria; Tropical medicine; Bartonellaceae; Prevalence; Epidemiology
• ISSN: 0002-9637; 1476-1645
• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2012.12-0097

Bartonella infections were investigated in bats in the Amazon part of Peru. A total of 112 bats belonging to 19 species were surveyed. Bartonella bacteria were cultured from 24.1% of the bats (27/112). Infection rates ranged from 0% to 100% per bat species. Phylogenetic analyses of gltA of the Bartonella isolates revealed 21 genetic variants clustering into 13 divergent phylogroups. Some Bartonella strains were shared by bats of multiple species, and bats of some species were infected with multiple Bartonella strains, showing no evident specific Bartonella sp.-bat relationships. Rarely found in other bat species, the Bartonella strains of phylogroups I and III discovered from the common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) were more specific to the host bat species, suggesting some level of host specificity.