Understanding the role of bats as fungal vectors in the environment

Bats (Chiroptera), the second largest group of mammals, are known for their unique immune system and their ability to act as vectors for various zoonoses. Bats also act as important carriers of fungi, which include plant, animal, and human pathogens. Their roosting areas, foraging behaviors, and eve...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IMA fungus 2024-09, Vol.15 (1), p.28, Article 28
Main Authors: Liu, Xiang-Fu, Karunarathna, Samantha Chandranath, Tibpromma, Saowaluck, Chethana, K W Thilini, Hyde, Kevin D, Elgorban, Abdallah M, Suwannarach, Nakarin, Kumla, Jaturong, Mortimer, Peter E, Hughes, Alice C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Bats
Behavior
Fungi
Zoonoses
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Summary:Bats (Chiroptera), the second largest group of mammals, are known for their unique immune system and their ability to act as vectors for various zoonoses. Bats also act as important carriers of fungi, which include plant, animal, and human pathogens. Their roosting areas, foraging behaviors, and even migration routes make bats ideal vectors for fungi. We isolated 75 culturable fungal species from bats in Yunnan Province, China, with 36 species representing known pathogens of plants, animals, and humans, while 39 species are non-pathogenic fungi. Among these species, 77% (58 species) belonged to Ascomycota, 9% (seven species) belonged to Basidiomycota, and 13% (10 species) belonged to Mucoromycota. Even though several taxonomic studies on fungi associated with bats have been published, studies exploring the role of bats as fungal vectors are lacking. This study discusses the fungi host-specific traits and pathogenicity and the impact and ecological significance of bats as fungal vectors.
ISSN:2210-6340
2210-6359
2210-6359
DOI:10.1186/s43008-024-00161-w