Hematophagous bats as reservoirs of rabies

Authors

  • Karin Corrêa Scheffer Instituto Pasteur. São Paulo, Brasil. Médico veterinario.
  • Keila Iamamoto Instituto Pasteur. São Paulo, Brasil. Médico veterinario.
  • Karen Miyuki Asano Instituto Pasteur. São Paulo, Brasil. Médico veterinario.
  • Enio Mori Instituto Pasteur. São Paulo, Brasil. Médico veterinario.
  • Andrea Isabel Estevez Garcia Médica veterinaria. Piracicaba, Brasil. Médico veterinario.
  • Samira M. Achkar Instituto Pasteur. São Paulo, Brasil. Biólogo.
  • William de Oliveira Fahl Instituto Pasteur. São Paulo, Brasil. Biólogo.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2014.312.51

Keywords:

Bats, Reservoirs, Rabies

Abstract

Rabies continues to be a challenge for public health authorities and a constraint to the livestock industry in Latin America. Wild and domestic canines and vampire bats are the main transmitter species and reservoirs of the disease. Currently, variations observed in the epidemiological profile of rabies, where the species of hematophagous bat Desmodus rotundus constitutes the main transmitting species. Over the years, knowledge has accumulated about the ecology, biology and behavior of this species and the natural history of rabies, which should lead to continuous development of methods of population control of d. Rotundus as well as prevention and diagnostic tools for rabies. Ecological relationships of this species with other hematophagous and non-hematophagous bats is unknown, and there is much room for improvement in reporting systems and surveillance, as well as creating greater awareness among the farming community. Understanding the impact of human-induced environmental changes on the rabies virus in bats should be cause for further investigation. This will require a combination of field studies with mathematical models and new diagnostic tools. This review aims to present the most relevant issues on the role of hematophagous bats as reservoirs and transmitters of the rabies virus.

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Published

2014-07-02

Issue

Section

Review

How to Cite

1.
Corrêa Scheffer K, Iamamoto K, Miyuki Asano K, Mori E, Estevez Garcia AI, Achkar SM, et al. Hematophagous bats as reservoirs of rabies. Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica [Internet]. 2014 Jul. 2 [cited 2024 Dec. 13];31(2). Available from: https://rpmesp.ins.gob.pe/index.php/rpmesp/article/view/51