Bats to Bedside: Diversity and prevalence of Bartonella in Costa Rican bats and bat flies reveals potential for disease spillover

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: Identifying natural reservoirs and vectors for pathogens is central to understanding how animal diseases spill over into human populations. The human and animal disease-causing bacteria of the genus Bartonella often rely on a mammalian host and arthropod vector, and it has been suggested that bats and bat flies could fulfill these roles. Comparing the prevalence and genetic similarity of Bartonella spp. in Costa Rican bats and the bat flies parasitizing them, I found that Bartonella spp. were more prevalent in bat flies than in bats, 52.7% and 31.8% respectively, and that these Bartonella were diverse and sometimes shared between bats and bat flies. Phylogenetic analysis further revealed that some Bartonella identified in bats and bat flies were similar to strains known to infect humans and other mammals. The high prevalence and sharing of Bartonella in bat flies and bats supports a role for bat flies as a potential vector for Bartonella and other pathogens, while the genetic diversity and similarity to known species suggests that Bartonella could spill over from bats and bat flies into humans and animals sharing the landscape.

Type of resource	text
Date created	June 15, 2014

Author	Judson, Seth
Degree granting institution	Stanford University, Department of Biology, 2014
Primary advisor	Hadly, Elizabeth
Advisor	Tompkins, Lucy
Advisor	Falkow, Stanley

Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/mp170mt3113

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Preferred Citation: Judson, Seth. (2014). Bats to Bedside: Diversity and prevalence of Bartonella in Costa Rican bats and bat flies reveals potential for disease spillover
. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/mp170mt3113

Undergraduate Theses, Department of Biology, 2013-2014

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