Characterization of fungi associated with the nasal hairs of Molossid bats

Julie Teresa Shapiro, Thiago Mateus Rocha dos Santos, Clarice Rossato Marchetti, Aline Pedroso Lorenz-Lemke, Emília Delarmelina, Marcelo Oscar Bordignon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Fungal pathogens have become a serious threat to wildlife, threatening populations of even once common, abundant species. We describe the mycobiota associated with the nasal hairs of three Molossid bat species, Cynomops planirostris, Molossus molossus, and Molossus rufus, in southwest Brazil. Bats were captured in the Cerrado and Pantanal biomes. We cultured 22 fungal isolates from twelve individual bats. Sixteen sequences of the ITS region were obtained, yielding 11 unique sequence types from the genera Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Paecilomyces, and Penicillium. No obvious detrimental effects on the bats from the fungi were observed, although some species or genera that we identified are known pathogens in other species. This is the first report of such fungi associated with the nasal hairs of Molossid bats. Our results indicate the need for further research on the biodiversity, ecological role, and potential effects of this mycobiota on Molossid bats.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)126-129
Number of pages4
JournalFungal Ecology
Volume18
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Ascomycota
  • Cerrado
  • Chiroptera
  • Pantanal
  • Pathogen
  • Zoonotic disease

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Ecology
  • Ecological Modeling
  • Plant Science

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