Molecular identification of Eimeria species in Spanish bats

This is the first study reporting the detection and molecular characterization of Eimeria in bats in Spain, specifically in 12 of 32 chiropteran species described in the Iberian Peninsula. A total of 76 faecal samples were collected from different bat roosting sites across Spanish territory. The DNA was extracted from the samples and sequenced by targeting the Eimeria SSU-rRNA gene. Two Eimeria species were detected in 29 of the 76 faecal samples (38%), and the bat-specific Eimeria rioarribaensis and rodent-specific Eimeria jerfinica were detected in 4 (5%) and 25 (33%) of the samples, respectively. This is the first report of E. rioarribaensis in the bats Rhinolophus euryale, Myotis myotis and Nyctalus lasiopterus, extending the host and geographical ranges for this bat coccidian parasite. The identification of the rodent-specific parasite species E. jerfinica in bats indicates the occurrence of this species in Spain, although its presence has not previously been reported in wild rodents in this country. Considering that most of the Eimeria spp. reported in bats were described only on the basis of morphometric data, molecular studies are required to determined which Eimeria species occur in bats, to complete the identification of these species and to clarify the phylogeny.