Diversity of Staphylococcal Species Cultured From Captive Livingstone's Fruit Bats (Pteropus Livingstonii) and Their Environment

Fountain, Kay; Roberts, Larry; Young, Victoria; Barbón, Alberto Rodríguez; Frosini, Siân-Marie; Lloyd, D. H.; Loeffler, Anette

doi:10.1638/2018-0121

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Prior to WNS, skin diseases were not commonly reported in bats, although dermatophytes are known to grow on bat skin ( Simpson et al , 2013 ; Lorch et al. , 2015 ; McAlpine et al , 2016 ) and dermatitis has been documented ( Goodnight, 2015 ; Fountain et al , 2017 , 2019 ). A global survey of captive bats found that some species are more frequently reported with skin diseases compared to others, and some skin lesions show seasonal patterns with increased frequency in the winter for bats exposed to outdoor temperatures ( Fountain et al , 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin pH varies among bat species and seasons and between wild and captive bats

Vanderwolf

Kyle

Faure

et al. 2021

Conservation Physiology

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Skin is a key aspect of the immune system in the defence against pathogens. Skin pH regulates the activity of enzymes produced both by hosts and by microbes on host skin, thus implicating pH in disease susceptibility. Skin pH varies inter- and intra-specifically and is influenced by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic variables. Increased skin alkalinity is associated with a predisposition to cutaneous infections in humans and dogs, and inter-specific and inter-individual variation in skin pH is implicated in differential susceptibility to some skin diseases. The cutaneous pH of bats has not been characterized but is postulated to play a role in susceptibility to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal infection that has decimated several Nearctic bat species. We used non-invasive probes to measure the pH of bat flight membranes in five species with differing susceptibility to WNS. Skin pH ranged from 4.67 to 8.59 and varied among bat species, geographic locations, body parts, age classes, sexes and seasons. Wild Eptesicus fuscus were consistently more acidic than wild Myotis lucifugus, Myotis leibii and Perimyotis subflavus. Juvenile bats had more acidic skin than adults during maternity season but did not differ during swarming. Male M. lucifugus were more acidic than females during maternity season, yet this trend reversed during swarming. Bat skin was more acidic in summer compared to winter, a pattern also reported in humans. Skin pH was more acidic in captive than wild E. fuscus, suggesting environmental impacts on skin pH. The pH of roosting substrates affects skin pH in captive bats and may partially explain seasonal patterns in wild bats that use different roost types across seasons. Future research on the influence of pH on microbial pathogenic factors and skin barrier function may provide valuable insights on new therapeutic targets for treating bat skin conditions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin pH varies among bat species and seasons and between wild and captive bats

Vanderwolf

Kyle

Faure

et al. 2021

Conservation Physiology

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“…Presumptive S. aureus isolates were screened for methicillin resistance using oxacillin-resistance screening agar (ORSAB, Oxoid) and those from captive bats were further tested for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by disc diffusion on Muller-Hinton agar as described in Fountain et al 19 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is convincing evidence of multifarious host adaptations in this species, involving large-scale changes in gene content, or more subtle changes in coding sequences 16 , 17 . S. aureus is also an opportunistic pathogen, and is an important cause of skin and soft-tissue infections, osteomyelitis, endocarditis and septicaemia in both humans and animals 10 , 18 , including within the bat colony at Jersey zoo 19 . S. aureus therefore provides an excellent model to examine the extent to which the resident, and potentially adaptive, microflora in captive animals might be perturbed due to antibiotic therapy, or else forced to compete against potentially pathogenic strains carried by co-residing species or their human contacts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Staphylococcus aureus lineages associated with a free-ranging population of the fruit bat Pteropus livingstonii retained over 25 years in captivity

Fountain

Barbón

Gibbon

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Conservation of endangered species has become increasingly complex, and costly interventions to protect wildlife require a robust scientific evidence base. This includes consideration of the role of the microbiome in preserving animal health. Captivity introduces stressors not encountered in the wild including environmental factors and exposure to exotic species, humans and antimicrobial drugs. These stressors may perturb the microbiomes of wild animals, with negative consequences for their health and welfare and hence the success of the conservation project, and ultimately the risk of release of non-native organisms into native ecosystems. We compared the genomes of Staphylococcus aureus colonising critically endangered Livingstone’s fruit bats (Pteropus livingstonii) which have been in a captive breeding programme for 25 years, with those from bats in the endemic founder population free ranging in the Comoros Republic. Using whole genome sequencing, we compared 47 isolates from captive bats with 37 isolates from those free ranging in the Comoros Republic. Our findings demonstrate unexpected resilience in the bacteria carried, with the captive bats largely retaining the same two distinctive lineages carried at the time of capture. In addition, we found evidence of genomic changes which suggest specific adaptations to the bat host.

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“…Unlike domestic animals, staphylococcal carriage is poorly documented in wildlife. Several Staphylococcus species were found in a captive population at Jersey Zoo (Jersey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom; Fountain et al, 2019 ). Bats were sampled by swabbing from ventral wing skin and oropharynx, as well as from mouth ejecta and skin lesions.…”

Section: Bacteriamentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of bats microbiota and its implication in transmissible diseases

Federici

Masulli²,

Laurenzi³

et al. 2022

Front. Microbiol.

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Recent pandemic events have raised the attention of the public on the interactions between human and environment, with particular regard to the more and more feasible transmission to humans of micro-organisms hosted by wild-type species, due to the increasing interspecies contacts originating from human’s activities. Bats, due to their being flying mammals and their increasing promiscuity with humans, have been recognized as hosts frequently capable of transmitting disease-causing microorganisms. Therefore, it is of considerable interest and importance to have a picture as clear as possible of the microorganisms that are hosted by bats. Here we focus on our current knowledge on bats microbiota. We review the most recent literature on this subject, also in view of the bat’s body compartments, their dietary preferences and their habitat. Several pathogenic bacteria, including many carrying multidrug resistance, are indeed common guests of these small mammals, underlining the importance of preserving their habitat, not only to protect them from anthropogenic activities, but also to minimize the spreading of infectious diseases.

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Diversity of Staphylococcal Species Cultured From Captive Livingstone's Fruit Bats (Pteropus Livingstonii) and Their Environment

Cited by 11 publications

References 30 publications

Skin pH varies among bat species and seasons and between wild and captive bats

Skin pH varies among bat species and seasons and between wild and captive bats

Staphylococcus aureus lineages associated with a free-ranging population of the fruit bat Pteropus livingstonii retained over 25 years in captivity

An overview of bats microbiota and its implication in transmissible diseases

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