Bartonella Infection in Hematophagous, Insectivorous, and Phytophagous Bat Populations of Central Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula

Abstract

Although emerging nonviral pathogens remain relatively understudied in bat populations, there is an increasing focus on identifying bat-associated bartonellae around the world. Many novel <i>Bartonella</i> strains have been described from both bats and their arthropod ectoparasites, including <i>Bartonella mayotimonensis</i>, a zoonotic agent of human endocarditis. This cross-sectional study was designed to describe novel <i>Bartonella</i> strains isolated from bats sampled in Mexico and evaluate factors potentially associated with infection. A total of 238 bats belonging to seven genera were captured in five states of Central Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula. Animals were screened by bacterial culture from whole blood and/or polymerase chain reaction of DNA extracted from heart tissue or blood. <i>Bartonella</i> spp. were isolated or detected in 54 (22.7%) bats, consisting of 41 (38%) hematophagous, 10 (16.4%) insectivorous, and three (4.3%) phytophagous individuals. This study also identified <i>Balantiopteryx plicata</i> as another possible bat reservoir of <i>Bartonella</i>. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models suggested that <i>Bartonella</i> infection was positively associated with blood-feeding diet and ectoparasite burden. Phylogenetic analysis identified a number of genetic variants across hematophagous, phytophagous, and insectivorous bats that are unique from described bat-borne <i>Bartonella</i> species. However, these strains were closely related to those bartonellae previously identified in bat species from Latin America.