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. 2024 Sep 4;15(1):28.
doi: 10.1186/s43008-024-00161-w.

Understanding the role of bats as fungal vectors in the environment

Xiang-Fu Liu #  1   2   3 , Samantha Chandranath Karunarathna #  1   4 , Saowaluck Tibpromma  1 , K W Thilini Chethana  2   3 , Kevin D Hyde  2   3 , Abdallah M Elgorban  5 , Nakarin Suwannarach  6 , Jaturong Kumla  6 , Peter E Mortimer  7   8 , Alice C Hughes  9
Affiliations

Understanding the role of bats as fungal vectors in the environment

Xiang-Fu Liu et al. IMA Fungus. .

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Ascomycota; Basidiomycota; Bat fungi; Chiroptera; Ecology; Mucoromycota; Pathogenicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Numbers of fungal species cultured from each body part of bats (W-wing, B-body, L-legs)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Numbers of fungal species cultured from each body part (W-wing, B-body, L-legs) of the individual bats from each group (Hipposideros, Kerivoula, Miniopterus, Myotis, and Rhinolophus) when samples were collected from all body parts
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Number of fungal samples cultured per fungal genus, for all genera with at least two separate samples. Numbers shown after the fungal genera indicate the number of fungal species that were found within the genus, numbers after bat names indicate the number of bat species and individuals sampled with culturable fungi. Note that several Hipposiderids had no cultural fungi and are therefore not indicated here
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
The comparison of fungi genera sampled from bats’ body parts (W-wing, B-body, L-legs)
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Number of culturable fungal species from different bat genera (H.: Hipposideros, K.: Kerivoula, Mi.: Miniopterus, My.: Myotis, and R.: Rhinolophus)
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