Infection of Bat Epithelial cells Depends on the Invasion Factors InlA and InlB.

is a widespread facultative intracellular pathogen. The range of natural hosts that supporting persistence in the environment has not been fully established yet. In this study, we were interested in the potential of to infect cells of bats, which are being increasingly recognized as a reservoir for microorganisms that are pathogenic to humans and domestic animals. A stable epithelial cell line was developed from the kidneys of , a small bat widely distributed across Europe. The wild-type strain EGDe infected this cell line with an invasion efficiency of 0.0078 ± 0.0009%. Once it entered bat cells, doubled within about 70 minutes. When lacked either of the major invasion factors, InlA and InlB, invasion efficiency decreased by a factor of 10 and 25 respectively ( < 0.000001). The obtained results suggest that bat epithelial cells are susceptible to infection and that invasion of bat cells depends on the major invasion factors InlA and InlB. These results constitute the first report on in vitro studies of infection in bats.