Bartonellaspp. in Bats, Kenya

Michael Kosoy,Michael Niezgoda,Robert F Breiman,Tarah Lynch,Ying Bai,Charles E Rupprecht,Richard Franka,Ivan V Kuzmin,Bernard Agwanda

doi:10.3201/eid1612.100601

Abstract

We report the presence and diversity of Bartonella spp. in bats of 13 insectivorous and frugivorous species collected from various locations across Kenya. Bartonella isolates were obtained from 23 Eidolon helvum, 22 Rousettus aegyptiacus, 4 Coleura afra, 7 Triaenops persicus, 1 Hipposideros commersoni, and 49 Miniopterus spp. bats. Sequence analysis of the citrate synthase gene from the obtained isolates showed a wide assortment of Bartonella strains. Phylogenetically, isolates clustered in specific host bat species. All isolates from R. aegyptiacus, C. afra, and T. persicus bats clustered in separate monophyletic groups. In contrast, E. helvum and Miniopterus spp. bats harbored strains that clustered in several groups. Further investigation is needed to determine whether these agents are responsible for human illnesses in the region.

Highlights

We report the presence and diversity of Bartonella spp. in bats of 13 insectivorous and frugivorous species collected from various locations across Kenya
Cultures Culturing from bat blood pellets, especially from small-sized bats, presented a challenge because of the limited sample volume and the potential for contamination with other bacteria and fungi, problems hard to avoid during field sampling
Detection of viable bacteria in a high proportion of bats in ≥6 bat species suggests that Bartonella spp. infection is highly prevalent in bat communities in eastern Africa

Summary

Introduction

We report the presence and diversity of Bartonella spp. in bats of 13 insectivorous and frugivorous species collected from various locations across Kenya. For some Bartonella spp. recently implicated as human pathogens (such as B. rochalimae, which was isolated from an American tourist traveling to Peru, or B. tamiae, isolated from 3 patients in Thailand), a mammalian reservoir has not been determined despite a wide range of tested animals collected in these countries [26,27]. These unidentified reservoirs indicate a need for extensive surveillance among diverse groups of animals for Bartonella strains, especially among bats, which represent around 20% of all mammalian species [6]

Methods

Results

Conclusion