RESUMO
Animals exhibit sociability behaviors and spatial use patterns that are important for species survival. Bats are animals that exhibit complex patterns of aggregation of individuals, which can vary according to sex and age. Aggregation can be explained by active or passive mechanisms. In this behavioural note, we report a group of female Artibeus lituratus in the reproductive stage that exhibits aggregation behavior supporting the active mechanism hypothesis. The females returned to the same roost, for two reproductive season, maintaining the aggregation with the same individuals with which the social bonds were already established.
Os animais exibem comportamentos de sociabilidade e padrões de uso espacial que são importantes para a sobrevivência das espécies. Os morcegos são animais que apresentam padrões complexos de agregação de indivíduos, que podem variar de acordo com o sexo e a idade. A agregação pode ser explicada por mecanismos ativos ou passivos. Nesta nota comportamental, relatamos um grupo de fêmeas de Artibeus lituratus em fase reprodutiva que exibe comportamento de agregação apoiando a hipótese do mecanismo ativo. As fêmeas retornaram ao mesmo poleiro, por duas estações reprodutivas, mantendo a agregação com os mesmos indivíduos com os quais os laços sociais já foram estabelecidos.
Assuntos
AnimaisRESUMO
We describe here the first characterization of the genome of the bat Pteronotus mexicanus, an endemic species of Mexico, as part of the Mexican Bat Genome Project which focuses on the characterization and assembly of the genomes of endemic bats in Mexico. The genome was assembled from a liver tissue sample of an adult male from Jalisco, Mexico provided by the Texas Tech University Museum tissue collection. The assembled genome size was 1.9 Gb. The assembly of the genome was fitted in a framework of 110,533 scaffolds and 1,659,535 contigs. The ecological importance of bats such as P. mexicanus, and their diverse ecological roles, underscores the value of having complete genomes in addressing information gaps and facing challenges regarding their function in ecosystems and their conservation.
Assuntos
Quirópteros , Genoma , Animais , Quirópteros/genética , Quirópteros/classificação , México , Masculino , Análise de Sequência de DNA/métodosRESUMO
Bats are the second most diverse order of mammals and play a central role in ecosystem dynamics. They are also important reservoirs of potentially zoonotic microorganisms, of which rabies virus is the most lethal among the bat-transmitted zoonotic pathogens. Importantly, recent outbreaks of human rabies have been reported from the Brazilian Amazon. Here we present a survey of bat species and rabies virus (RABV) circulation in a bat assemblage in the Marajó region, northern Brazil. Using data from mist-net captures and bioacoustic sampling, 56 bat species were recorded along the Jacundá River basin over a 10-day expedition in November 2022. For the investigation of RABV, we used the direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT) and the rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT). In total, 159 bat individuals from 22 species were investigated for RABV. Five adults of the common vampire bat, Desmodus rotundus, showed RABV-specific antibodies in serum samples. Additionally, we report on local residents with injuries caused by D. rotundus bites and the occurrence of colonies of non-hematophagous bats from different species roosting inside human residences. This scenario raises concerns about the risks of new cases of human rabies and other zoonotic diseases associated with bats in the region and highlights the need for epidemiological surveillance and mitigation measures to prevent outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antivirais , Quirópteros , Surtos de Doenças , Vírus da Raiva , Raiva , Zoonoses , Quirópteros/virologia , Animais , Brasil/epidemiologia , Vírus da Raiva/imunologia , Vírus da Raiva/isolamento & purificação , Vírus da Raiva/classificação , Raiva/epidemiologia , Raiva/veterinária , Raiva/virologia , Humanos , Zoonoses/epidemiologia , Zoonoses/virologia , Anticorpos Antivirais/sangue , Feminino , Masculino , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , AdolescenteRESUMO
Sleep is associated with many costs, but is also important to survival, with a lack of sleep impairing cognitive function and increasing mortality. Sleeping in groups could alleviate sleep-associated costs, or could introduce new costs if social sleeping disrupts sleep. Working with the Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis), we aimed to: (1) describe sleep architecture, (2) assess how sleeping in groups affects sleep, and (3) quantify total sleep time and identify rapid eye movement (REM) sleep using behavioral indicators that complement physiological evidence of sleep. Twenty-five adult bats were captured in Panama and recorded sleeping in an artificial roost enclosure. Three bats were fitted with an electromyograph and accelerometer and video recorded sleeping alone in controlled laboratory settings. The remaining 22 bats were assigned to differing social configurations (alone, dyad, triad, and tetrad) and video recorded sleeping in an outdoor flight cage. We found that sleep was highly variable among individuals (ranging from 2 h 53 min to 9 h 39 min over a 12-h period). Although we did not detect statistically significant effects and our sample size was limited, preliminary trends suggest that male bats may sleep longer than females, and individuals sleeping in groups may sleep longer than individuals sleeping alone. We also found a high correspondence between total sleep time quantified visually and quantified using actigraphy (with a 2-min immobility threshold) and identified physiological correlates of behaviorally-defined REM. These results serve as a starting point for future work on the ecology and evolution of sleep in bats and other wild mammals.
Dormir está asociado con muchos costos, pero también es importante para la supervivencia, ya que la falta de sueño perjudica la función cognitiva y aumenta la mortalidad. Dormir en grupos podría disminuir los costos asociados con el sueño o podría introducir nuevos costos si este descanso grupal interrumpe el sueño. Trabajando con el murciélago frugívoro jamaicano (A. jamaicensis), nos propusimos: (1) describir la arquitectura del sueño, (2) evaluar cómo dormir en grupos afecta el sueño y (3) cuantificar el tiempo total de sueño e identificar el sueño REM empleando indicadores de comportamiento que complementen la evidencia fisiológica del sueño. Se capturaron 25 murciélagos adultos en Panamá y se les grabó durmiendo en un recinto artificial de descanso. A tres murciélagos se les equipó con un electromiógrafo y un acelerómetro y se les grabó en video durmiendo solos en entornos de laboratorio controlados. Los 22 murciélagos restantes fueron asignados a diferentes configuraciones sociales (solo, díada, tríada, tétrada) y se grabaron en video durmiendo en una jaula de vuelo al aire libre. El sueño fue muy variable entre individuos (desde 2 h 53 min hasta 9 h 39 min durante un período de 12 h). Aunque no detectamos efectos estadísticamente significativos, y nuestro tamaño muestral fue limitado, las tendencias preliminares sugieren que los murciélagos macho pueden dormir más que las hembras, y que los individuos que duermen en grupos pueden dormir más que los individuos que duermen solos. Encontramos una alta correspondencia entre el tiempo total de sueño cuantificado visualmente y cuantificado mediante actigrafía (con un umbral de inmovilidad de 2 minutos) e identificamos correlaciones fisiológicas de lo que definimos como REM en términos de comportamiento. Estos resultados sirven como punto de partida para futuros estudios sobre la ecología y la evolución del sueño en murciélagos y otros mamíferos salvajes.
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Although bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) act as natural reservoirs for many zoonotic pathogens around the world, few studies have investigated the occurrence of Anaplasmataceae agents in bats, especially vampire bats. The family Anaplasmataceae (order Rickettsiales) encompasses obligate intracellular bacteria of the genera Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Neorickettsia, Neoehrlichia, Wolbachia, and Allocryptoplasma. The present study aimed to investigate, using molecular techniques, the presence of species of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Neorickettsia in vampire bats sampled in northern Brazil. Between 2017 and 2019, spleen samples were collected from vampire bats belonging to two species, Desmodus rotundus (n = 228) from the states of Pará (n = 207), Amazonas (n = 1), Roraima (n = 18) and Amapá (n = 3), and Diaemus youngii (n = 1) from Pará. Positivity rates of 5.2% (12/229), 3% (7/229), and 10.9% (25/229) were found in PCR assays for Anaplasma spp. (16S rRNA gene), Ehrlichia spp. (dsb gene) and Neorickettsia spp. (16S rRNA gene), respectively. The present study revealed, for the first time, the occurrence of Anaplasma spp. and different genotypes of Ehrlichia spp. in vampire bats from Brazil. While phylogenetic analyses based on the dsb and ftsZ genes of Ehrlichia and 16S rRNA of Anaplasma spp. revealed phylogenetic proximity of the genotypes detected in vampire bats with Anaplasmataceae agents associated with domestic ruminants, phylogenetic inferences based on the gltA and groEL genes evidenced the occurrence of genotypes apparently exclusive to bats. Neorickettsia sp. phylogenetically associated with N. risticii was also detected in vampire bats sampled in northern Brazil.
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Hyperparasitism is defined as the interaction where one parasite is infected by another parasite. In bat flies (Streblidae and Nycteribiidae), both hyperparasites and microparasites (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and arthropods such as mites) have been documented. Fungi belonging to the order Laboulbeniales are microscopic parasites of a wide diversity of arthropod hosts. Three genera exclusively target bat flies: Arthrorhynchus, which parasitizes species within Nycteribiidae in the Eastern Hemisphere, while genus Gloeandromyces and Nycteromyces parasitize Streblidae in the Western Hemisphere. Among the hyperparasitic arthropods, mites of family Neothrombidiidae, particularly the monospecific genus Monunguis, are known to parasitize bat flies. Here we present the first records of the hyperparasites Monunguis streblida and Gloeandromyces pageanus f. polymorphus parasitizing Streblidae bat flies in Colombia and a summary of these hyperparasitic interactions in the Neotropics. We detected fungi and mites parasitizing bat flies that were collected in the Magdalena River Basin, Colombia, in field expeditions in 2018, 2022, and 2023. We identified 17 bat flies and two species of hyperparasites, specifically M. streblida and the fungi Gloeandromyces. Our search for reports of these interactions in the Neotropics revealed that seven species of Trichobius (Streblidae) are parasitized by M. streblida, whereas Paratrichobius longicrus (Streblidae) is parasitized by Gloeandromyces pageanus f. polymorphus. These interactions have been reported in 11 countries, but our records are the first of M. streblida and Laboulbeniales fungi parasitizing bat flies in Colombia. So far, a total of 14 species of fungi and one species of mite have been associated with 19 species of bat flies, which in turn, are linked to 15 species of Neotropical bats.
Assuntos
Quirópteros , Dípteros , Animais , Dípteros/microbiologia , Dípteros/parasitologia , Quirópteros/parasitologia , Colômbia , Ácaros/microbiologia , Ácaros/fisiologia , Interações Hospedeiro-ParasitaRESUMO
This study aimed to investigate the presence of ectoparasites and the occurrence of natural infection by Rickettsia spp. and Trypanosoma spp. in bats from Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. The evaluated animals were obtained from the Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor, sent by the Centro Estadual de Vigilância Sanitária, to carry out rabies diagnostic tests, during the period from 2016 to 2021. The bats came from 34 municipalities in RS. Of the 109 animals surveyed, 35.8% (39/109) had 385 ectoparasites, with an average of 9.9 parasites per animal. Of these bats, all had insectivorous feeding habits, with 35.9% (14/39) females and 64.1% (25/39) males. The co-parasitism of Chirnyssoides sp., Ewingana inaequalis, and Chiroptonyssus robustipes on Molossus currentium (Mammalia, Chiroptera) was recorded for the first time. All bats surveyed were negative for infection by the protozoan and bacteria. Thus, the expansion of the occurrence of these ectoparasites in insectivorous bats in RS was observed. Furthermore, this study corresponds to the first recorded interspecific associations for the species.
Assuntos
Quirópteros , Rickettsia , Trypanosoma , Animais , Feminino , Masculino , Brasil/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Insectivorous bats play a crucial role in agroecosystems by providing invaluable pest control services. With the escalating impacts of climate change, a comprehensive understanding of the environmental factors influencing bat activity becomes imperative for their conservation in agricultural landscapes. This study investigates the influence of weather conditions, specifically air temperature and relative humidity, on the timing activity and the relative abundance of five insectivorous bat species in central Chile. Data from automatic bat detectors and climatological stations are utilized for analysis. Our results unveil species-specific behaviors, with Tadarida brasiliensis exhibiting early emergence and extended activity periods compared to other bat species. Histiotus montanus and Lasiurus villosissimus display delayed onsets on more humid evenings, whereas Lasiurus varius and T. brasiliensis initiate activity earlier on colder nights compared to warmer ones. Relative humidity emerges as a key factor influencing relative abundance for all species, with more minutes with bat passes detected on drier nights. These findings suggest that global warming may influence observed bat behaviors, potentially altering foraging patterns and activity levels of these bat species. Moreover, as climate change continues, understanding the long-term impact on bat populations and their adaptive strategies is crucial for effective conservation measures. Further studies exploring these dynamics can provide valuable insights for shaping conservation efforts in the face of evolving environmental challenges.
RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Bats are a diverse group of mammals that have unique features allowing them to act as reservoir hosts for several zoonotic pathogens such as Leptospira. Leptospires have been classified into pathogenic, intermediate, and saprophytic groups and more recently into clades P1, P2, S1, and S2, being all the most important pathogenic species related to leptospirosis included within the P1/pathogenic clade. Leptospira has been detected from bats in several regions worldwide; however, the diversity of leptospires harboured by bats is still unknown. AIM: The aim of the present study was to determine the genetic diversity of Leptospira spp. harboured by bats worldwide. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted on four databases to retrieve studies in which Leptospira was detected from bats. All studies were screened to retrieve all available Leptospira spp. 16S rRNA sequences from the GenBank database and data regarding their origin. Sequences obtained were compared with each other and reference sequences of Leptospira species and analysed through phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 418 Leptospira spp. 16S rRNA sequences isolated from 55 bat species from 14 countries were retrieved from 15 selected manuscripts. From these, 417 sequences clustered within the P1/pathogenic group, and only one sequence clustered within the P2/intermediate group. Six major clades of P1/pathogenic Leptospira spp. were identified, three of them composed exclusively of sequences obtained from bats. CONCLUSION: We identified that bats harbour a great genetic diversity of Leptospira spp. that form part of the P1/pathogenic clade, some of which are closely related to leptospirosis-associated species. This finding contributes to the knowledge of the diversity of leptospires hosted by bats worldwide and reinforces the role of bats as reservoirs of P1/pathogenic Leptospira spp.
Assuntos
Quirópteros , Variação Genética , Leptospira , Leptospirose , Filogenia , Animais , Quirópteros/microbiologia , Leptospira/genética , Leptospira/classificação , Leptospira/isolamento & purificação , Leptospirose/veterinária , Leptospirose/microbiologia , Leptospirose/epidemiologia , Reservatórios de Doenças/veterinária , Reservatórios de Doenças/microbiologia , RNA Ribossômico 16S/genética , ZoonosesRESUMO
Bats have a long evolutionary history with trypanosomatids, but the role of these flying mammals on parasite transmission cycles in urban areas, especially for Trypanosoma and Leishmania species, remains poorly known. The objective of this study was to evaluate the species richness of trypanosomatids parasitizing a bat community in Campo Grande (CG), a state capital within the Cerrado of the Brazilian Midwest. We evaluated 237 bats of 13 species by means of hemoculture and molecular detection in spleen samples. The bat community of CG appears to participate in the transmission cycles of various species of trypanosomatids. We report an overall trypanosomatid detection rate of 34.2% (n = 81), involving 11 out of 13 sampled bat species. We identified six species of trypanosomatids from 61 bats by analyzing SSU rRNA and/or kDNA: Trypanosoma cruzi DTU TcI, T. c. marinkellei, T. dionisii, Leishmania infantum, L. amazonensis, and T. janseni, with this latter being detected by hemoculture for the first time in a bat species. We also detected a Molecular Operational Taxonomic Unit, Trypanosoma sp. DID, in the phyllostomids Glossophaga soricina and Platyrrhinus lineatus. The highest trypanosomatid richness was observed for Sturnira lilium, which hosted three species: L. infantum, T. dionisii and T. janseni. Given that visceral leishmaniasis is endemic in CG, special focus should be placed on L. infantum. Moreover, L. amazonensis and T. cruzi warrant attention, since these are zoonotic parasites responsible for human cases of tegumentary leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, respectively. In this respect, we discuss how bat communities may influence the Leishmania spp. transmission in endemic areas.