Bat-Borne Viral Zoonoses

There are over 1300 species of bats, making up about 20% of the biodiversity of mammalian species, only second to rodents. More than 70% are insectivorous. These fall under two suborders, Micro—and Megachiroptera under the order Chiroptera, which represent biologically and ecologically diverse species with global distribution. Microchiroptera have 963 widely diverse species and are widely spread in the tropics. These are largely insectivorous; some have diverse diets. Megachiroptera have 187 species and are Old World bats, with the exception of 1 species; do not echo-locate; are larger in size, commonly ‘fruit bats’; and eat fruits and nectar. These occur in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World, from eastern Mediterranean and Arabian Peninsula across Africa to Asia, Australia and the islands in the Pacific. Of the mammals, bats are the second most widespread order of mammals, only next to primates.