title: Prevalence, diversity, and host associations of Bartonella strains in bats from Georgia (Caucasus).
abstract: Bartonella infections were investigated in seven species of bats from four regions of the Republic of Georgia. Of the 236 bats that were captured, 212 (90%) specimens were tested for Bartonella infection. Colonies identified as Bartonella were isolated from 105 (49.5%) of 212 bats Phylogenetic analysis based on sequence variation of the gltA gene differentiated 22 unique Bartonella genogroups. Genetic distances between these diverse genogroups were at the level of those observed between different Bartonella species described previously. Twenty-one reference strains from 19 representative genogroups were characterized using four additional genetic markers. Host specificity to bat genera or families was reported for several Bartonella genogroups. Some Bartonella genotypes found in bats clustered with those identified in dogs from Thailand and humans from Poland.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia.|Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Lela
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9223-1361
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Urushadze
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Disease, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Disease, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Osikowicz
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Disease, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.|Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Clifton
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.affiliation: National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Ketevan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sidamonidze
authors.affiliation: National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Davit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Putkaradze
authors.affiliation: National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Paata
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Imnadze
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kandaurov
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kuzmin
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Disease, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kosoy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001473:Bartonella / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001474:Bartonella Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary*; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005846:Georgia (Republic) / Q000453:epidemiology; D058507:Host Specificity; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial