Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Frugivorous and the Insectivorous Bats in Southcentral Nepal

Bats are the only active flying placental mammals and are traditionally classified into mega- and microbats, which are, respectively, herbivorous and insectivorous in feeding habit. Though deforestation, habitat destruction, natural calamities, illegal hunting, and climate changes are the challengin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Roshan Babu Adhikari, Mahendra Maharjan, Tirth Raj Ghimire
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-01-01
Series:Journal of Parasitology Research
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/8880033
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849305298800476160
author Roshan Babu Adhikari
Mahendra Maharjan
Tirth Raj Ghimire
author_facet Roshan Babu Adhikari
Mahendra Maharjan
Tirth Raj Ghimire
author_sort Roshan Babu Adhikari
collection DOAJ
description Bats are the only active flying placental mammals and are traditionally classified into mega- and microbats, which are, respectively, herbivorous and insectivorous in feeding habit. Though deforestation, habitat destruction, natural calamities, illegal hunting, and climate changes are the challenging threats for bats, the role of existing gastrointestinal (GI) parasites have not been evaluated yet in Nepal. Thus, the current study aims to determine the prevalence of GI parasites in bats from the Shaktikhor area at the Chitwan district of Southcentral Nepal. From July 2018 to February 2019, a total of 60 fecal samples of bats (30 from frugivorous bats and 30 from the insectivorous bats) were collected. These samples were preserved at 2.5% potassium dichromate solution. The fecal examination was carried out by the direct wet mount, concentrations, acid-fast staining, and sporulation techniques. Overall results showed the prevalence rate of 80% GI parasites. The parasites detected in the insectivorous bats were Ascarid spp., Capillarid sp., Cryptosporidium sp., Eimeria spp., Entamoeba sp., Giardia sp., Hymenolepis spp., Isospora sp., Oxyurid sp., Strongyle, and Strongyloides sp. In contrast, Eimeria sp., Entamoeba sp., and Hymenolepis sp. were detected in the frugivorous bats. Based on a wide diversity of parasite richness and parasitic concurrency measured by the prevalence rates, we suggest that GI parasitism might be a threatening factor in the insectivorous bats in the current study area.
format Article
id doaj-art-0801db81d9bb4783ae3237a20d68ce9b
institution Kabale University
issn 2090-0023
2090-0031
language English
publishDate 2020-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Journal of Parasitology Research
spelling doaj-art-0801db81d9bb4783ae3237a20d68ce9b2025-08-20T03:55:28ZengWileyJournal of Parasitology Research2090-00232090-00312020-01-01202010.1155/2020/88800338880033Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Frugivorous and the Insectivorous Bats in Southcentral NepalRoshan Babu Adhikari0Mahendra Maharjan1Tirth Raj Ghimire2Third Pole Conservancy, Wildlife and Eco-health, Bhaktapur, NepalCentral Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, NepalAnimal Research Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Lalitpur, NepalBats are the only active flying placental mammals and are traditionally classified into mega- and microbats, which are, respectively, herbivorous and insectivorous in feeding habit. Though deforestation, habitat destruction, natural calamities, illegal hunting, and climate changes are the challenging threats for bats, the role of existing gastrointestinal (GI) parasites have not been evaluated yet in Nepal. Thus, the current study aims to determine the prevalence of GI parasites in bats from the Shaktikhor area at the Chitwan district of Southcentral Nepal. From July 2018 to February 2019, a total of 60 fecal samples of bats (30 from frugivorous bats and 30 from the insectivorous bats) were collected. These samples were preserved at 2.5% potassium dichromate solution. The fecal examination was carried out by the direct wet mount, concentrations, acid-fast staining, and sporulation techniques. Overall results showed the prevalence rate of 80% GI parasites. The parasites detected in the insectivorous bats were Ascarid spp., Capillarid sp., Cryptosporidium sp., Eimeria spp., Entamoeba sp., Giardia sp., Hymenolepis spp., Isospora sp., Oxyurid sp., Strongyle, and Strongyloides sp. In contrast, Eimeria sp., Entamoeba sp., and Hymenolepis sp. were detected in the frugivorous bats. Based on a wide diversity of parasite richness and parasitic concurrency measured by the prevalence rates, we suggest that GI parasitism might be a threatening factor in the insectivorous bats in the current study area.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/8880033
spellingShingle Roshan Babu Adhikari
Mahendra Maharjan
Tirth Raj Ghimire
Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Frugivorous and the Insectivorous Bats in Southcentral Nepal
Journal of Parasitology Research
title Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Frugivorous and the Insectivorous Bats in Southcentral Nepal
title_full Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Frugivorous and the Insectivorous Bats in Southcentral Nepal
title_fullStr Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Frugivorous and the Insectivorous Bats in Southcentral Nepal
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Frugivorous and the Insectivorous Bats in Southcentral Nepal
title_short Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Frugivorous and the Insectivorous Bats in Southcentral Nepal
title_sort prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in the frugivorous and the insectivorous bats in southcentral nepal
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/8880033
work_keys_str_mv AT roshanbabuadhikari prevalenceofgastrointestinalparasitesinthefrugivorousandtheinsectivorousbatsinsouthcentralnepal
AT mahendramaharjan prevalenceofgastrointestinalparasitesinthefrugivorousandtheinsectivorousbatsinsouthcentralnepal
AT tirthrajghimire prevalenceofgastrointestinalparasitesinthefrugivorousandtheinsectivorousbatsinsouthcentralnepal