Bats in my belfry

Wild, insectivorous bats might be carriers of Campylobacter spp

BACKGROUND

The transmission cycles of the foodborne pathogens Campylobacter and Salmonella are not fully elucidated. Knowledge of these cycles may help reduce the transmission of these pathogens to humans.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

The presence of campylobacters and salmonellas was examined in 631 fresh fecal samples of wild insectivorous bats using a specially developed method for the simultaneous isolation of low numbers of these pathogens in small-sized fecal samples (≤ 0.1 g). Salmonella was not detected in the feces samples, but thermotolerant campylobacters were confirmed in 3% (n = 17) of the bats examined and these pathogens were found in six different bat species, at different sites, in different ecosystems during the whole flying season of bats. Molecular typing of the 17 isolated strains indicated C. jejuni (n = 9), C. coli (n = 7) and C. lari (n = 1), including genotypes also found in humans, wildlife, environmental samples and poultry. Six strains showed unique sequence types.

CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE

This study shows that insectivorous bats are not only carriers of viral pathogens, but they can also be relevant for the transmission of bacterial pathogens. Bats should be considered as carriers and potential transmitters of Campylobacter and, where possible, contact between bats (bat feces) and food or feed should be avoided.

Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy: demonstration of focal frontal onset and intrafamilial variation

Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE) is a newly recognized autosomal dominant partial epilepsy. We studied seizure localization and intrafamilial variation using video-EEG monitoring (VEM) and functional neuroimaging in two pairs of subjects from unrelated families. The clinical features of seizures were similar from seizure to seizure in each individual, but varied between individuals. As is often found in frontal lobe epilepsies, ictal EEG localization was imprecise in three of four cases. One patient showed a consistent left fronto-polar onset that was corroborated by congruent focal hypometabolism on interictal PET and focal hyperperfusion on ictal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). A second case studied with ictal SPECT showed a right parasagittal, midfrontal focus. We conclude that this autosomal dominant epilepsy syndrome, which in one of the two families was due to a known neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor mutation, causes frontal lobe foci that are unilateral and in variable locations in different individuals.