Special Features of Bat Microbiota Differ From Those of Terrestrial Mammals

Abstract

Bats (order Chiroptera) are one of the most diverse and widely distributed group of mammals with a close relationship to humans. Over the past few decades, a number of studies have been performed on bat viruses; in contrast, bacterial pathogens carried by bats were largely neglected. As more bacterial pathogens are being identified from bats, the need to study their natural microbiota is becoming urgent. In the current study, fecal samples of four bat species from different locations of China were analyzed for their microbiota composition. Together with the results of others, we concluded that bat microbiota is most commonly dominated by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria; the strict anaerobic phylum Bacteroidetes, which is dominant in other terrestrial mammals, especially humans and mice, is relatively rare in bats. This phenomenon was interpreted as a result of a highly specified gastrointestinal tract in adaptation to the flying lifestyle of bats. Further comparative study implied that bat microbiota resemble those of the order Carnivora. To discover potential bacterial pathogens, a database was generated containing the 16S rRNA gene sequences of known bacterial pathogens. Potential bacterial pathogens belonging to 12 genera were detected such as Salmonella, Shigella, and Yersinia, among which some have been previously reported in bats. This study demonstrated high resolution and repeatability in detecting organisms of rare existence, and the results could be used as guidance for future bacterial pathogen isolation.

Gut microbiota of bats: pro-mutagenic properties and possible frontiers in preventing emerging disease

“…Additionally, most bat species lack cecum and appendix, which are essential parts of the gastrointestinal tract for the gut microbial community in other animals 21 , 23 . The shorter length of the gastrointestinal tract and absence of some of its parts results in reduced transit time of food digest compared to mammalians of the same size 24 . It should be noted that along with the rapid chyme movement through the intestine, a relatively high metabolic rate has been described in bats due to energy expenditure on flights 17 .…”

“…The reason for this could be the absence or low numbers of lactic acid bacteria and bacilli in bats' feces. For studying microbial biodiversity in bats, other screening methods should be used, for example, PCR 24 . Our study is aimed at investigating mutagenic and oxidative properties of bat gut lactobacilli and spore-forming bacilli.…”

Animal Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the Welfare of Animals during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Bats are considered by many to be natural reservoirs for many viruses [233], including Ebola [234] and other SARS-like coronaviruses [235]. An apparent high tolerance for viruses in the Chiropterans that are lethal to many other species has been well-noted in the literature [236,237], and may be an indirect consequence of the evolution of flight in these species [238].…”

Conservation state of two paintings in the Santa Margherita cliff cave: role of the environment and of the microbial community

“…This aspect, alongside the higher percentage abundance of unclassi ed bacterial species in the east wall (16%) versus the west one (3%), might be ascribed to the far more proximity of the former to the external cave environment, easily allowing microbial colonization to occur in this area. Another contributing factor could derive from the high chlorine extent found in the east area of the cave, explaining its high microbial heterogeneity in terms of bacterial families such as Paenibacillaceae, Streptococcaceae, It is also worth noting that some of these bacterial families (i.e., Streptococcaceae, Ruminococcaceae, Moraxellaceae, Streptococcaceae, Oxalobacteriaceae, Eubacteriaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, to name a few) are ascribed to the gut microbiota of wildlife (e.g., bat) (Sun et al 2020;Gaona et al 2019) that could occasionally use the cave as a shelter, considering that the site entrance is not protected, thus contributing to the microbiota heterogeneity, as well as constituting a potential risk of cave damaging. Thus, microorganisms that can colonize such an environment are likely to be considered as both indigenous and foreign species, which however possess a versatile metabolism, allowing them to thrive under the most disparate nutritional conditions.…”