The Threat of Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria in the Feces of Bats
Yuyuan Huang, Yamin Sun, Qianni Huang, Xianglian Lv, Ji Pu, Wentao Zhu, Shan Lu, Dong Jin, Liyun Liu, Zheng‐Li Shi, H. J. Yang, Jianguo Xu
Abstract
Bats are one of the most diverse and widely distributed groups of mammals living in close proximity to humans. In recent years, bat-borne viruses and the viral zoonotic diseases associated with bats have been studied in great detail. However, the prevalence and abundance of pathogenic bacteria in bats have been largely ignored. This study used high-throughput sequencing techniques (metataxonomics) in combination with traditional culture methods (culturomics) to analyze the bacterial flora in bat feces from different species of bats in China, revealing that bats are natural hosts of pathogenic bacteria and carry many unknown bacteria. The results of this study can be used as guidance for future investigations of bacterial pathogens in bats.