Scientists have found new parasites in bats from Asia
A group of scientists from TSU and Moscow State University identified and described a new species of mites parasitizing bats, Spinturnix tylonycterisi, which are new for Vietnam. In addition, they found links between parasites and hosts that are considered uncharacteristic. The new data are important for understanding the pathways of spread of dangerous infections transmitted by ticks and bats. The biologists' research has been published in the highly-ranked International Journal of Acarology (Q1).
- The new data was obtained during the work with the collection of bats stored in the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, - says Maria Orlova, a scientist at the TSU Biological Institute. - The bats were caught during expeditions to Vietnam and Japan in the late 20th - early 21st century. Although the bats were in alcohol for 20-30 years, the parasites on them were preserved quite well. Among the finds, the most interesting is Spinturnix tylonycterisi, found on a bat from Vietnam. Previously, this species was known only from the original description made in Malaysia. In addition, we first described the protonymph (immature) stage of this tick.
Read more: http://en.tsu.ru/news/scientists-have-found-new-parasites-in-bats-from-asia/
