A denevérek (Chiroptera) járványtani jelentősége Európában, különös tekintettel vérszívó külső élősködőikre és az általuk terjeszthető (vector-borne) kórokozókra

Abstract

SUMMARY Invasion of men into bat habitats and adaptation of bats to urban areas increased the chances for contact between humans and bats. Bats and their blood-sucking ectoparasites are recognized to be natural reservoirs of a large variety of pathogens – including viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi –, among them many with zoonotic potential to infect humans. In Europe the number of human disease cases that may have originated from contact with bats (or may have resulted from their proximity) appears to be lower, than in the tropics, but the epidemiological risks associated with bat-borne pathogens should not be discounted on our continent. On the other hand, bat species in Hungary are protected, and some of them are endangered or threatened by local extinction. The significance of bats in the ecosystem is undisputable; therefore protection of bat habitats may have the mutual benefit of natural conservation and reduction of epidemiological consequences of bat entry into human settlements. Here, based on most recent literature data, the authors summarize (mainly vector- borne) pathogens carried by bats. It is emphasized that various ecological, physiological and geographical factors (such as the habitat, seasonal activity, migration distance of bat species) may significantly influence the abundance of arthropods and the prevalence of associated vector-borne agents getting into contact with bats either as ectoparasites or prey items.