Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Frugivorous and the Insectivorous Bats in Southcentral Nepal

Abstract

Bats are the only active flying placental mammals and are traditionally classified into mega- and microbats, which are, respectively, herbivorous and insectivorous in feeding habit. Though deforestation, habitat destruction, natural calamities, illegal hunting, and climate changes are the challenging threats for bats, the role of existing gastrointestinal (GI) parasites have not been evaluated yet in Nepal. Thus, the current study aims to determine the prevalence of GI parasites in bats from the Shaktikhor area at the Chitwan district of Southcentral Nepal. From July 2018 to February 2019, a total of 60 fecal samples of bats (30 from frugivorous bats and 30 from the insectivorous bats) were collected. These samples were preserved at 2.5% potassium dichromate solution. The fecal examination was carried out by the direct wet mount, concentrations, acid-fast staining, and sporulation techniques. Overall results showed the prevalence rate of 80% GI parasites. The parasites detected in the insectivorous bats were Ascarid spp., Capillarid sp., Cryptosporidium sp., Eimeria spp., Entamoeba sp., Giardia sp., Hymenolepis spp., Isospora sp., Oxyurid sp., Strongyle, and Strongyloides sp. In contrast, Eimeria sp., Entamoeba sp., and Hymenolepis sp. were detected in the frugivorous bats. Based on a wide diversity of parasite richness and parasitic concurrency measured by the prevalence rates, we suggest that GI parasitism might be a threatening factor in the insectivorous bats in the current study area.

Gastrointestinal parasites of indigenous pigs (Sus domesticus) in south‐central Nepal

“…(long and thin form and short and broad form; size: 56–67 µm × 24–30 µm) were recorded. Due to the lack of faecal culture and identification of third‐stage larvae for a complete diagnosis, we considered ''strongylid'' for the strongyle‐type eggs of Oesophagostomum, Hyostrongylus , Globocephalus and Trichostrongylus (Adhikari et al., 2020; Gatenby & Chemjong, 1992; Ghimire & Bhattarai, 2019). Strongylid eggs were of four types depending on size (70–135 µm × 34–77 µm) and shape (oval to rectangular; see Table 1; Figure 3).…”

“…The region experiences a tropical to subtropical climate with an annual mean temperature of 29.3°C in summer and 9.4°C in winter. The average yearly precipitation in the area is 199 mm (Adhikari et al., 2020). The indigenous/ethnic people living in the study area prefer traditional small‐scale pig rearing.…”

“…Each stool sample was processed using multiple methods: direct wet mount, sedimentation, saturated salt (45% w/v NaCl) flotation and acid‐fast techniques (Adhikari et al., 2021; Adhikari et al., 2020; Ghimire & Bhattarai, 2019). Samples positive for Eimeria sp.…”

“…or Cystoisospora sp. were proceeded for the sporulation assays (Adhikari et al., 2020; Chhabra & Mafukidze, 1992). Samples were then examined for parasitic bodies such as cysts, trophozoites, oocysts and ova under a B‐383PLi light microscope (OPTIKA Microscopes) at 100×, 400× and 1,000× magnifications.…”

Diversity and prevalence of Eimeria species in goats of Nepal

“…Then, sporulation assays were performed in the Eimeria-positive samples. The fecal samples were placed in Petri dishes and incubated at 2.5% potassium dichromate (28 o C) up to 10 days (Adhikari et al 2020). Sporulation time was calculated as the average time required for complete sporulation of 90% of the oocysts.…”