Original article

Bats as insect control in an outdoor pig farm: sustainable solution or high risk for pathogen transmission?

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Abstract

Bats are a known means of insect control in various agricultural settings. In this study, the use of local bats was suggested as sustainable pest control after problems with stinging invertebrates on an outdoor pig farm. However, contact between bats and livestock may bring the potential risk of pathogen transmission as bats are hosts of many pathogens. In this study, the occurrence of pathogens in feces of Myotis emarginatus was investigated, using nanopore sequencing via PathoSense and light microscopic parasitological examination. Additionally, the literature on the fecal biome of Western European bats is reviewed to assess the potential risks for pigs. Apart from opportunistically pathogenic Escherichia coli and rotavirus A, no relevant pathogens were identified during fecal examination. This finding differs from the reports in the literature where adenoviruses, rabies, Pasteurella spp. and Yersinia spp. etc. have been described as pathogenic risks. This study is a first step in estimating pathogenic risks, but further research on the pathogenic reservoir of these bats is necessary.