Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in urban-rural interfaces: community structure associated with pathogen screening in Sao Paulo-the largest metropolitan region in Brazil

Autor(es)

Brito, Joao Eduardo Cavalcanti ; de Mello, Beatriz Gagete Verissimo ; Gaeta, Natalia Carrillo ; Batista, Juliana Maria Nunes ; Brito, Tiago Roberto ; Agostinho, Washington Carlos ; Brandao, Paulo Eduardo ; Heinemann, Marcos Bryan ; Dias, Ricardo Augusto

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: VETERINARY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS; v. 47, n. 3, p. 26-pg., 2023-05-08.

Resumo

Little is known about the influence of the urban environments on bat species 'ecology. The urbanization process potentially lead to critical ecological changes in bat communities' intra and interspecific pathogenic transmissions dynamics. To date, the monitoring of pathogens in bats in Brazil has only been done with bats found dead or alive in households, from rabies surveillance systems. The present work aimed to investigate how urbanization influenced bat richness, relative abundance and pathogen occurrence. Most captured bats were Phyllostomidae, especially Sturnira lilium, Artibeus lituratus, A. fimbriatus, Glossophaga soricina, and Platyrrhinus lineatus, among others. From preserved-rural towards urban areas the lesser the bat richness, the higher the relative abundance of the captured bats. Noise level, luminosity and relative humidity correlated with bat abundance. The proportion of genders, sexually active bats and their size (weight, right forearm length, and body condition index) were stable throughout the investigation. Still, the proportion of pregnant females was higher in Spring and the number of juveniles in Summer, evidencing the seasonality of reproduction. Several Enterobacteria were isolated, evidencing a significant role of bats in the circulation of pathogens of medical and veterinary interest. These results are crucial in the pursuit of a harmonious coexistence between humans, bats and domestic animals in areas with different levels of anthropization. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 20/15008-0 - Avaliação de morcegos em interfaces urbano-rurais: contaminação por metais pesados, resistência antimicrobiana e microrganismos com potencial zoonótico
• Beneficiário: Natália Carrillo Gaeta
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 20/14401-0 - Detecção de Leptospira spp., enteropatógenos bacterianos e metagenômica em morcegos (Chiroptera, Mammalia) da região urbana de São Paulo, SP, Brasil
• Beneficiário: Juliana Maria Nunes Batista
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Mestrado
• Processo FAPESP: 19/19702-1 - Estudo da quiropterofauna em interfaces urbano-rurais: riqueza, abundância e distribuição associadas ao risco de transmissão de patógenos a animais domésticos e humanos
• Beneficiário: Ricardo Augusto Dias
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular