title: Bats are rare reservoirs of Staphylococcus aureus complex in Gabon.
abstract: The colonization of afro-tropical wildlife with Staphylococcus aureus and the derived clade Staphylococcus schweitzeri remains largely unknown. A reservoir in bats could be of importance since bats and humans share overlapping habitats. In addition, bats are food sources in some African regions and can be the cause of zoonotic diseases. Here, we present a cross-sectional survey employing pharyngeal swabs of captured and released bats (n=133) in a forest area of Gabon. We detected low colonization rates of S. aureus (4-6%) and S. schweitzeri (4%) in two out of four species of fruit bats, namely Rousettus aegyptiacus and Micropteropus pusillus, but not in insectivorous bats. Multilocus sequence typing showed that S. aureus from Gabonese bats (ST2984, ST3259, ST3301, ST3302) were distinct from major African human associated clones (ST15, ST121, ST152). S. schweitzeri from bats (ST1697, ST1700) clustered with S. schweitzeri from other species (bats, monkeys) from Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire. In conclusion, colonization rates of bats with S. aureus and S. schweitzeri were low in our study. Phylogenetic analysis supports an intense geographical dispersal of S. schweitzeri among different mammalian wildlife hosts.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Held
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gmeiner
authors.affiliation: Institut für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mordmüller
authors.affiliation: Ngounie Medical Research Centre, Fougamou, Gabon.
authors.forename: Pierre-Blaise
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Matsiégui
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Juliane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schaer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Eckerle
authors.affiliation: Independent Research Consultant, Fürth, Germany.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matuschewski
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hygiene, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bletz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany. Electronic address: frieder.schaumburg@ukmuenster.de.
authors.forename: Frieder
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schaumburg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000382:microbiology*; D005681:Gabon; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015047:Zoonoses
keywords: Africa; Bats; Gabon; Genotyping; Staphylococcus schweitzeri