Search

Western Asia represents a mixing pot of diverse bat species with distributions spanning across other geographic regions. Yet, relative to other regions, there is a significant gap in coordinated bat research in Western Asia, thereby resulting in a relatively limited number of curated occurrence records.The Western Asia Bat Research Network (WAB-Net) project was created to strengthen research capacity and knowledge of the diversity and distribution of bat species in a little-studied region, as well as to collect data to characterise the diversity and prevalence of coronaviruses in diverse bat species. Over a four-year period (2018–2022), we documented 4,278 individual records for 41 bat species using a cross-sectional survey approach at 50 sites in seven Western Asian countries, specifically Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan and Turkiye. At each site, we captured, on average, 90 individual bats (range: 9-131) over multiple consecutive nights and used standardised methods to collect demographic and morphological data from captured individuals. We additionally completed a systematic evaluation of environmental characterisation and human-bat interactions at all 50 sites. Here, we report individual occurrence records and site conditions from this multi-country, multi-year sampling effort.

Abstract Background To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Minimally Invasive Micro Sclerotomy (MIMS) procedure in the management of uncontrolled open-angle glaucoma. Methods A prospective, open-label, single-arm clinical evaluation with intra-subject comparisons performed at the Ophthalmologic Center after S.V. Malayan, Yerevan, Armenia. Included were adults with primary open-angle glaucoma (OAG) (N = 114) or exfoliative glaucoma (N = 6) who were uncontrolled (IOP > 21) on tolerated topical medication. Mild (N = 7), moderate (N = 66) and severe (n = 47) cases were prospectively included without preselection. Following subconjunctival Mitomycin C, an ab-interno MIMS procedure was performed alone (N = 100) or combined with phacoemulsification (N = 20). Patients were followed for 52 weeks. Procedure-related complications and adverse events were recorded. Success criteria were defined as -5 21 mmHg on tolerated medication. At 52 weeks (n = 93), mean IOP decreased by 38% from baseline (P

Toxoplasma gondii infections in small mammals are important because they serve as source of infection for the felids who excrete environmentally resistant oocysts in their feces. Here, the authors sought evidence for T. gondii infection in shrews and rodents in Armenia for the first time. Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected in tissues of trapped animals using a specific PCR targeting gene with a non-coding fragment length of 529 bp. Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected in 15 out of 137 (10.9%) samples from small mammals from 6 different localities of Armenia for the first time.

Abstract Background North American bat populations have suffered severe declines over the last decade due to the Pseudogymnoascus destructans fungus infection. The skin disease associated with this causative agent, known as white-nose syndrome (WNS), is specific to bats hibernating in temperate regions. As cultured fungal isolates are required for epidemiological and phylogeographical studies, the purpose of the present work was to compare the efficacy and reliability of different culture approaches based on either skin swabs or wing membrane tissue biopsies for obtaining viable fungal isolates of P. destructans. Results In total, we collected and analysed 69 fungal and 65 bacterial skin swabs and 51 wing membrane tissue biopsies from three bat species in the Czech Republic, Poland and the Republic of Armenia. From these, we obtained 12 viable P. destructans culture isolates. Conclusions Our results indicated that the efficacy of cultures based on wing membrane biopsies were significantly higher. Cultivable samples tended to be based on collections from bats with lower body surface temperature and higher counts of UV-visualised lesions. While cultures based on both skin swabs and wing membrane tissue biopsies can be utilised for monitoring and surveillance of P. destructans in bat populations, wing membrane biopsies guided by UV light for skin lesions proved higher efficacy. Interactions between bacteria on the host's skin also appear to play an important role.

Background and Aim: A drawback of studies on bat blood smears in the field is the lack of time for fixation because blood sampling using a non-lethal method often provides less time for fixation in smear preparations due to the small volume of blood collected. Usually, there is insufficient blood for another smear preparation, so it is necessary to use blood smears as rationally as possible, especially for rare bats. Many stains are used for staining peripheral blood smears, and they have advantages and disadvantages. This study aimed to examine commonly used stains for blood smears to select the best stain for staining peripheral blood smears in bats. Materials and Methods: In this study, 48 blood smears of Rhinolophus spp. bats were examined using several blood staining methods. Four methods that showed the best results were used in further experiments: Romanowsky-Giemsa, Pappenheim, hematoxylin-eosin, and eosin methylene blue. Results: Comparative analysis of different methods for staining bat blood smears revealed that the most convenient method for analyzing blood cells is Pappenheim method. Conclusion: Staining blood smears using Pappenheim method yield the least number of unsuccessful blood smear stains and are quite effective for the morphological analysis of blood cells.