Gastrointestinal digeneans (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) of horseshoe and vesper bats (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae and Vespertilionidae) in Serbia

• Published in: Helminthologia
• Main Authors: Horvat Ž., Čabrilo B., Paunović M., Karapandža B., Jovanović J., Budinski I., Bjelić Čabrilo O.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 2017
• Subjects: digeneans; bats; serbia; prevalence; abundance; Microbiology; QR1-502; Nyctalus noctula; Pipistrellus pipistrellus
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1515/helm-2017-0009; https://doaj.org/article/b0748dfa69c34b5298fd71940df4775a

The qualitative and quantitative analyses of the digenean fauna of bats were conducted for the first time in Serbia. The sample comprised of 118 individuals of 12 bat species (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Myotis mystacinus, M. alcathoe, M. brandtii, M. oxygnathus, M. myotis, Hypsugo savii, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, P. nathusii, Plecotus auritus, P. austriacus and Nyctalus noctula) collected from 15 sites throughout Serbia. Six digenean species were identified: Lecithodendrium linstowi, Plagiorchis sp., Prosthodendrium longiforme, P. chilostomum, P. parvouterus and Mesotretes peregrinus. The helminths were recorded from 35 individual hosts (29.7 %). The species Lecithodendrium linstowi infected the highest percentage of hosts (19.5 %), with a mean abundance of 4.6. GLM analysis of exploratory factors showed that host species and host sex had a significant influence on parasite load, while locality and host age did not influence parasite abundance. No evidence of zoonotic species was found.