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

En la selva de concreto: el murciélago animalívoro Tonatia bidens (Phyllostomidae) registrado en la metrópolis de São Paulo, Brasil

Most of the synanthropic bat species in Brazil are insectivores and frugivores. The greater round-eared bat, Tonatia bidens, is an animalivore, feeding on insects and small vertebrates, and roosts in tree cavities and rock crevices. It has been captured in forested areas of northern Argentina, as well as eastern Brazil and Paraguay. Despite their relative generalist habits and although T. bidens has been recorded in large forest remnants inside cities, we report here for the first time an individual found inside the garage of a house in an urban area of São Paulo city. We suggest that the lack of suitable roosting sites, rather than prey, is the limiting factor for the presence of this species in urban areas. However, this assumption needs to be investigated more robustly.La mayoría de las especies de murciélagos sinantrópicos en Brasil son insectívoros y frugívoros. El murciélago grande de orejas redondas, Tonatia bidens, es un animalívoro que se alimenta de insectos y pequeños vertebrados; además, percha en las cavidades de los árboles y en las grietas de las rocas. Esta especie ha sido capturada en áreas boscosas del norte de Argentina, así como este de Brasil y Paraguay. A pesar de sus hábitos relativamente generalistas y aunque T. bidens ha sido registrada en grandes remanentes de bosque dentro de las ciudades, reportamos aquí por primera vez un individuo encontrado dentro del garaje de una casa en un área urbana de la ciudad de São Paulo. Sugerimos que la falta de sitios de descanso adecuados, más que la falta de alimentos, es el factor limitante para la presencia de esta especie en áreas urbanas. Sin embargo, esta suposición necesita ser investigada más sólidamente

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.

Hematologic profile of hematophagous Desmodus rotundus bats before and after experimental infection with rabies virus

Introduction Hematophagous Desmodus rotundus bats play an important role in the rabies lifecycle. This study describes the hematological profile of these bats before and after experimental infection with rabies virus. Methods Cells counts were performed in a Neubauer chamber. Results The average values of erythrocytes and leucocytes counts in blood before experimental infections were 9.97 × 106mm3 and 4.80 × 103mm3, respectively. Neutrophils represented 69.9% of white blood cells and the lymphocytes represented 26.9%. Following the experimental infections, the average numbers of erythrocytes and leucocytes was 9.43 × 106mm3 and 3.98 × 103mm3, respectively. Neutrophils represented 40% of white blood cells and the lymphocytes represented 59%. Conclusions The hematological profile given in this study can serve as reference values for D. rotundus bats

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

First report of rabies infection in bats, Molossus molossus, Molossops neglectus and Myotis riparius in the city of São Paulo, State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil

INTRODUCTION: This paper presents the first report of rabies in three bat species, Molossus molossus, Molossops neglectus and Myotis riparius in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: Bats were diagnosed as positive for rabies using the fluorescent antibody test and mouse inoculation test. The isolates were characterized antigenically using a panel of eight monoclonal antibodies. The samples were also genetically analyzed by partial sequencing of the portion of nucleoprotein gene between positions 1157 and 1445nt. RESULTS: Analysis of the results verified that the sample isolated from the species M. molossus presented antigenic variant 6, while the other two samples showed a different profile from that established in the panel, one not previously reported in the literature. The results of genetic analysis revealed that the M. molossus sample segregated with Lasiurus sp. isolates, M. neglectus segregated with a subgroup of Eptesicus furinalis isolates and the Myotis riparius sample segregated with Myotis sp. isolates. CONCLUSIONS: The cases reported in this paper emphasize the need for clarification of the circumstances in which cases of rabies in wildlife occur, principally in urban areas

First report of rabies infection in bats, Molossus molossus, Molossops neglectus and Myotis riparius in the city of São Paulo, State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil Primeiro relato de infecção de vírus da raiva em morcegos, Molossus molossus, Molossops neglectus e Myotis riparius na cidade de São Paulo, Estado de São Paulo

INTRODUCTION: This paper presents the first report of rabies in three bat species, Molossus molossus, Molossops neglectus and Myotis riparius in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: Bats were diagnosed as positive for rabies using the fluorescent antibody test and mouse inoculation test. The isolates were characterized antigenically using a panel of eight monoclonal antibodies. The samples were also genetically analyzed by partial sequencing of the portion of nucleoprotein gene between positions 1157 and 1445nt. RESULTS: Analysis of the results verified that the sample isolated from the species M. molossus presented antigenic variant 6, while the other two samples showed a different profile from that established in the panel, one not previously reported in the literature. The results of genetic analysis revealed that the M. molossus sample segregated with Lasiurus sp. isolates, M. neglectus segregated with a subgroup of Eptesicus furinalis isolates and the Myotis riparius sample segregated with Myotis sp. isolates. CONCLUSIONS: The cases reported in this paper emphasize the need for clarification of the circumstances in which cases of rabies in wildlife occur, principally in urban areas.INTRODUÇÃO: Esse trabalho apresenta o primeiro registro de raiva em três espécies de morcegos: Molossus molossus, Molossops neglectus e Myotis riparius na Cidade de São Paulo, Brasil. MÉTODOS: Os morcegos foram diagnosticados como positivos para raiva usando as técnicas padrão de imunofluorescência direta e o teste de inoculação em camundongo. Os isolados foram caracterizados antigenicamente usando um painel de oito anticorpos monoclonais (CDC/Atlanta/USA). As amostras também foram analisadas geneticamente por sequenciamento parcial do gene da nucleoproteína entre as posições 1157 e 1445nt. RESULTADOS: O resultado das análises mostrou que as amostras isoladas da espécie M. molossus apresentou variante antigênica 6, enquanto as outras duas amostras mostraram um perfil diferente daquele estabelecido no painel e ainda não registrado em literatura. Os resultados da analise genética revelaram que a amostra de M. molossus segrega com isolados de Lasiurus sp., M. neglectus segrega com o isolado do subgrupo de Eptesicus furinalis e uma amostra de M. riparius segrega com isolados de Myotis sp. CONCLUSÕES: Os casos relatados neste estudo enfatizam a necessidade do esclarecimento da ocorrência de casos de raiva em morcegos, principalmente em áreas urbanas