Albinism in Carollia perspicillata (Chiroptera; Phyllostomidae), in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. A brief review of albinism in bats

Albinism is a phenomenon that is not very common in bats. In the literature, sixty-seven bat species with this mutation have been reported. The purpose of this paper is to report a case of complete albinism in Carollia perspicillata. A young male albino bat was captured in a culvert under the BR 364 highway, located within an anthropogenic area in the district of Caiçara, municipality of Porto Velho, in the northern Brazilian state of Rondônia. The animal was apparently well integrated into the group, healthy and of normal size for the species. A brief review of albinism in bats is also provided

Albinism in Carollia perspicillata (Chiroptera; Phyllostomidae), in the state of Rondônia, Brazil. A brief review of albinism in bats

Albinism is a phenomenon that is not very common in bats. In the literature, sixty-seven bat species with this mutation have been reported. The purpose of this paper is to report a case of complete albinism in Carollia perspicillata. A young male albino bat was captured in a culvert under the BR 364 highway, located within an anthropogenic area in the district of Caiçara, municipality of Porto Velho, in the northern Brazilian state of Rondônia. The animal was apparently well integrated into the group, healthy and of normal size for the species. A brief review of albinism in bats is also provided. Albinismo é um fenômeno pouco comum em morcegos. Na literatura, 67 espécies de morcegos foram reportadas com a mutação. A proposta desse artigo é relatar um caso de albinismo completo em Carollia perspicillata. Um morcego, jovem, macho, albino foi capturado em um bueiro sob a rodovia BR364, localizado em uma área antropogênica na Vila de Caiçara, município de Porto Velho, no estado de Rondônia. O animal estava aparentemente bem integrado ao grupo, saudável e de tamanho normal para a espécie. Um breve resumo de albinismo em morcegos é apresentado.

Rabies diagnosis and serology in bats from the State of São Paulo, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Bats are one of the most important reservoirs and vectors of the rabies virus in the world. METHODS: From 1988 to 2003, the Zoonosis Control Center in São Paulo City performed rabies diagnosis on 5,670 bats by direct immunofluorescent test and mouse inoculation test. Blood samples were collected from 1,618 bats and the sera were analyzed using the rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test to confirm rabies antibodies. RESULTS: Forty-four (0.8%) bats were positive for rabies. The prevalence of rabies antibodies was 5.9% using 0.5IU/ml as a cutoff. Insectivorous bats (69.8%) and bats of the species Molossus molossus (51.8%) constituted the majority of the sample; however, the highest prevalence of antibodies were observed in Glossophaga soricina (14/133), Histiotus velatus (16/60), Desmodus rotundus (8/66), Artibeus lituratus (5/54), Nyctinomops macrotis (3/23), Tadarida brasiliensis (3/48), Carollia perspicillata (3/9), Eumops auripendulus (2/30), Nyctinomops laticaudatus (2/16), Sturnira lilium (2/17) and Eumops perotis (1/13). The prevalence of rabies antibodies was analyzed by species, food preference and sex. CONCLUSIONS: The expressive levels of antibodies associated with the low virus positivity verified in these bats indicate that rabies virus circulates actively among them

Rabies virus distribution in tissues and molecular characterization of strains from naturally infected non-hematophagous bats

Bats are main reservoirs for Lyssavirus worldwide, which is an important public health issue because it constitutes one of the big challenges in rabies control. Yet, little is known about how the virus is maintained among bats, and the epidemiological relationships remain poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the distribution of the rabies virus (RABV) in bat tissues and organs and to genetically characterize virus isolates from naturally infected non-hematophagous bats. The heminested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (hnRT-PCR) and sequencing using primers to the nucleoprotein coding gene were performed. The results showed a dissemination of the RABV in different tissues and organs, particularly in the salivary glands, tongue, lungs, kidneys, bladder, intestine and feces, suggesting other possible forms of RABV elimination and the possibility of transmission among these animals. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed that different variants of RABV are maintained by non-hematophagous bats in nature and have similar tissue distribution irrespective of bat species and phylogenetic characterization. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Serologic Survey for Rickettsiosis in Bats from Sao Paulo City, Brazil

Blood serum samples were collected from 451 bats captured within the Sao Paulo city from April 2007 to November 2008, and individually tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay against antigens derived from five Rickettsia species reported to occur in Brazil: the spotted fever group (SFG) species R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. amblyommii, R. rhipicephali, and the ancestral group species R. bellii. For this purpose, an anti-bat immunoglobulin G was produced and used in the present study. Overall, 8.6% (39/451), 9.5% (34/358), 7.8% (28/358), 1.1% (4/358), and 0% (0/358) serum samples were reactive to R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. amblyommii, R. rhipicephali, and R. bellii, respectively. Endpoint titers of reactive sera ranged from 64 to 256. From 20 bat species of 3 different families (Molossidae, Vespertilionidae, and Phyllostomidae), 46 animals were shown to be reactive to at least one rickettsial antigen. Seropositivity per bat species ranged from 0% to 33.3%. Most of the serologically positive sera reacted with two or more rickettsial antigens. Seropositivity for SFG rickettsial antigens in the absence of reactivity against R. bellii (ancestral group species) suggests that bats from Sao Paulo city can be infected by SFG rickettsiae. The possible role of soft ticks in serving as vectors of SFG rickettsiae to bats within the Sao Paulo city, associated to its public health risks, is discussed.Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[06/58210-7]Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)[06/60575-3

Bat Influenza A(HL18NL11) Virus in Fruit Bats, Brazil

Screening of 533 bats for influenza A viruses showed subtype HL18NL11 in intestines of 2 great fruit-eating bats (Artibeus lituratus). High concentrations suggested fecal shedding. Genomic characterizations revealed conservation of viral genes across different host species, countries, and sampling years, suggesting a conserved cellular receptor and wide-ranging occurrence of bat influenza A viruses