Alexandra Rieger, Frank T Just, Effrosyni Michelakaki, Lina Eddicks, Anna M Gager, Heidrun Schöl, Christine Gohl, Hanspeter W Steinmetz, Andreas F Blutke, Daniela Denk
Seba's short-tailed bats (Carollia perspicillata) are a frugivorous species native to Central and South America. Despite their importance as a reservoir for zoonotic pathogens and their popularity in zoological collection and as research models, there are relatively few reports on non-zoonotic diseases of bats. Mites of the genus Demodex are obligate commensals of the skin of a range of mammals, are highly host-specific and are not associated with clinical disease when present in low numbers. However, infestation with high numbers can result in severe or even fatal disease and substantially affect the well-being of the animals...
April 27, 2023: Journal of Comparative Pathology