Cultivable Bacteria Associated with the Microbiota of Troglophile Bats.

Background: The study of bats is of significant interest from a systematic, zoogeographic, ecological, and physiological point of view. The aim of this study is to investigate the culturable aerobic enteric, conjunctival, and oral bacterial flora of bats to determine their physiological microbiome and to investigate the possible occurrence of pathogenic bacteria.

Methods: Five hundred and sixty-seven samples were collected from 189 individuals of four species of troglophile bats (, , , and ) living in Sicilian and Calabrian territory (Italy).