Bats are animals capable of carrying a large amount of viruses, bacteria and parasites and transmitting them to humans, at the same time as the disease develops in their body. Although most bats are able to transmit diseases, not all bite people or transmit the microorganism, only bats that feed on blood or those that feed on fruits and feel threatened, for example.
While one of the strategies to prevent bat-related diseases is the removal of this animal, this measure is not recommended because the bat plays a fundamental ecological role, being important for seed dispersal and pollen transport, for example.
Although it can be reservoir and vector of several infectious diseases, the main diseases caused by bats are:
Rabies is the main disease transmitted by bats, and occurs when the bat infected with the Rhabdoviridae family virus bites the person, causing the virus to be present in their saliva, to enter the person’s body, which can spread rapidly into the bloodstream and reach the nervous system. causing encephalopathy, for example.
The time between infection and onset of symptoms can vary from person to person depending on your immune system, and it can take 30 to 50 days to appear.
Main symptoms: Initially, the symptoms of human rabies are mild and can be mistaken for other infections because there is a feeling of discomfort and fever, for example. However, symptoms can progress rapidly, with depression, paralysis of the lower extremities, excessive agitation and increased saliva production due to spasms of the throat muscles, which can be quite painful. Learn about the other symptoms of human rabies.
What to do: If the person has been bitten by a bat, it is important to immediately go to the nearest emergency room for the wound to be disinfected and the need for a vaccine is evaluated. If the disease is confirmed, treatment is performed in the hospital with the use of medicines such as amantadine and biopertin to promote the elimination of the virus from the body.
Normally, during hospitalization, the person is kept under sedation and breathing is maintained through devices, in addition to their vital and metabolic functions being controlled by routine examinations. Hospital discharge only occurs when the total elimination of the virus is demonstrated.
Histoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, which is found in the soil but is favored to grow in bat droppings, for example. Therefore, when the bat defecates, the fungus can grow and spread through the air, which can infect people when inhaled.
Main symptoms: Symptoms of histoplasmosis may appear 3 to 17 days after contact with the fungus and vary depending on the amount of fungus inhaled. The higher the amount of inhaled spores, the more severe the symptoms. In addition, the person’s immune system also affects the severity of symptoms, so people with diseases that lead to a weakened immune system, such as AIDS, for example, develop more severe forms of histoplasmosis.
The main symptoms of histoplasmosis include fever, chills, headache, shortness of breath, dry cough and chest pain, for example.
What to do: In case of Histoplasma capsulatum infection, your doctor should recommend the use of antifungal medications, such as itraconazole or anfoterin, for example, and your doctor should determine the duration of treatment based on the severity of the disease. Disease.
To avoid bat-borne diseases, simple measures such as
If bat stool is checked, it is recommended to clean with gloves, masks and goggles, as this can be avoided by inhaling fungi in bat droppings, for example. Also, if you’ve been in contact with the bat, it’s important to get vaccinated against rabies to prevent a recurrence of the disease. Understand how the rabies vaccine works and what side effects.