Filibacter tadaridae sp. nov., isolated from within a guano pile from a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats Tadarida brasiliensis.

A Gram-stain-positive, aerobic bacterium, TB-66, was isolated from a pile of bat guano in a cave of New Mexico, USA. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity comparisons, strain TB-66grouped together with Filibacter limicola showing a 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 98.5 % to the type strain.

Variation in Bat Guano Bacterial Community Composition With Depth.

Bats are known to be reservoirs for a variety of mammalian pathogens, including viruses, fungi, and bacteria. Many of the studies examining the microbial community inhabiting bats have investigated bacterial taxa found within specific bat tissues and isolated bat guano pellets, but relatively few studies have explored bacterial diversity within bat guano piles. In large bat caves, bat guano can accumulate over time, creating piles several meters deep and forming complex interactions with coprophagous organisms in a habitat with low light and oxygen.