Data from: Prevalence, diversity, and host associations of Bartonella strains in bats from Georgia (Caucasus)

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.

本研究针对格鲁吉亚共和国四个地区的7种蝙蝠开展巴尔通体（Bartonella）感染情况调查。在捕获的236只蝙蝠中，共对212份（占比90%）蝙蝠样本开展巴尔通体感染检测。从212份受检样本中的105份（占比49.5%）分离得到经鉴定为巴尔通体的菌落。基于gltA基因序列变异的系统发育分析，共区分出22个独特的巴尔通体基因群。这些不同基因群之间的遗传距离，与此前已报道的不同巴尔通体物种间的遗传距离处于同一水平。采用4个额外的遗传标记，对来自19个代表性基因群的21株参考菌株进行了分型鉴定。部分巴尔通体基因群表现出对蝙蝠属或蝙蝠科的宿主特异性。部分从蝙蝠中检出的巴尔通体基因型，与泰国犬只及波兰人体中检出的基因型聚类为同一分支。