Prevalence and Host Specificity of Bat Flies (Streblidae) from Selected Caves in Unisan, Quezon, Philippines

Purpose Bats belong to different guilds and thus differ in the environmental resources that they exploit. They also evolved to have a very rich diversity of roosting and feeding habits. Therefore, it enables them to harbor different species of parasites that could be zoonotic and may pose public health importance. The current study aimed to identify the ectoparasites of bats, under Family Streblidae, in different caves of Unisan, Quezon, Philippines. Methods Four caves were sampled in the study namely, Malusak, Mahangin, De Lamesa, and Bonifacio. Two mist nets for each cave were set up to capture bats. The bats were carefully observed for the presence of ectoparasites using forceps and cotton balls. Results Eight bat species belonging to four families, namely Hipposideridae, Vespertilionidae, Rhinolophidae, and Pteropodidae, were recovered from the study. Results showed that 130 out of 202 (64.36%) bats were infested with streblids with an overall mean intensity of 1 ectoparasite/bat. Out of four streblid species, Brachytarsina werneri, Brachytarsina amboinensis, and Raymondia pseudopagodarum were classified as stenoxenous. High specificity index was recorded for R. pseudopagodarum (S-TD = 3) and low specificity index for Brachytarsina species. Conclusion These results can be used by the local government in providing necessary actions that may lead to public awareness as these bats may also play a role in the transmission of zoonotic parasites in the area.