Journal article
Virus survey in populations of two subspecies of bent-winged bats (Miniopterus orianae bassanii and oceanensis) in south-eastern Australia reveals a high prevalence of diverse herpesviruses
PH Holz, LF Lumsden, J Druce, AR Legione, P Vaz, JM Devlin, J Hufschmid
Plos One | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2018
Abstract
While bats are often viewed as carriers of infectious disease agents, little research has been conducted on the effects these potential pathogens may have on the bat populations themselves. The southern bent-winged bat (Miniopterus orianae bassanii) is a critically endangered subspecies endemic to south-eastern Australia. Population numbers of this bat have been declining for the past 50 years, but the reasons for this are unclear. As part of a larger study to determine if disease could be a contributing factor to this decline, 351 southern bent-winged bats from four locations were captured, and oral swabs were collected and tested for the presence of potentially pathogenic viruses. Results ..
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Funding Acknowledgements
[ "Funded by Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, HOLSW2016-R1-F109, https://www.ecalsoc.org.au/awards-and-prizes/holsworth-wildlife-research-endowment (PH). Wildlife Disease Association Australasia, http://www.wildlifedisease.org/wda/SECTIONS/Australasian.aspx (PH). Australian Government's Threatened Species Discretionary Grants Program, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Victoria, http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/threatened-species-recovery-fund (LL). Karst Conservation Fund, http://www.caves.org.au/conservation/karst-conservation-fund (PH). David Middleton (PH) Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship, http://studenteforms.app.unimelb.edu.au/apex/f? p=153:2:0:::2:P2_ID:50 (PH). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.", "The authors would like to thank the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment, Wildlife Disease Association Australasia, Australian Government's Threatened Species Discretionary Grants Program, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Victoria, Karst Conservation Fund and David Middleton for providing generous financial support for this project. The lead author is supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship. The authors acknowledge the valuable assistance provided by Amanda Bush, Mauricio Coppo, David McLelland, Tony Mitchell, Terry Reardon, Penelope Steer-Cope and the numerous volunteers involved with the bat trapping and sampling trips." ]