Bats may be carriers of Campylobacter

Since the contamination cycles of Campylobacter and Salmonella are not fully elucidated, it is useful to search for possible reservoirs in the environment. Bats are known to be potential carriers of viral pathogens and they might also be relevant in the contamination cycles of Campylobacter and Salmonella since they are warm blooded animals and could possibly act as hosts for these pathogens. In Western Europe, all bat species are insectivorous. Since it is known that insects are able to transmit Campylobacter and/or Salmonella for instance via faeces of farm animals or water birds, they might be a source of infection for bats. By contaminating water, crops, fruit, feed or soil with their faeces, infected bats might be a part of the contamination cycle of both pathogens. In this investigation, we examined wild bats for the presence of Campylobacter and Salmonella in 2007 and 2008. Fresh faecal samples (