Emerging Infectious Diseases (Jul 2011)

Bartonella spp. in Bats, Guatemala

  • Ying Bai,
  • Michael Y. Kosoy,
  • Sergio Recuenco,
  • Danilo Alvarez,
  • David Moran,
  • Amy Turmelle,
  • James Ellison,
  • Daniel L. Garcia,
  • Alejandra Estevez,
  • Kim A. Lindblade,
  • Charles E. Rupprecht

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1707.101867
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 7
pp. 1269 – 1272

Abstract

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To better understand the role of bats as reservoirs of Bartonella spp., we estimated Bartonella spp. prevalence and genetic diversity in bats in Guatemala during 2009. We found prevalence of 33% and identified 21 genetic variants of 13 phylogroups. Vampire bat–associated Bartonella spp. may cause undiagnosed illnesses in humans.

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