Abstract
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.
MeSH terms
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Animal Diseases / blood
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Animal Diseases / epidemiology
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Animal Diseases / microbiology*
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Animal Diseases / transmission
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Animals
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Bacterial Typing Techniques
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Bartonella / classification
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Bartonella / genetics*
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Bartonella / isolation & purification
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Bartonella Infections* / blood
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Bartonella Infections* / epidemiology
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Bartonella Infections* / microbiology
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Bartonella Infections* / transmission
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Bartonella Infections* / veterinary
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Chiroptera / blood
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Chiroptera / classification
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Chiroptera / microbiology*
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Disease Reservoirs
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Genetic Variation
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Guatemala
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Humans
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Phylogeny
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Phylogeography
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Polymerase Chain Reaction
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Prevalence
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Species Specificity