The Kidney-Associated Microbiome of Wild-Caught spp. in Grenada, West Indies.

Bats are capable of asymptomatically carrying a diverse number of microorganisms, including human pathogens, due to their unique immune system. Because of the close contact between bats and humans, there is a possibility for interspecies transmission and consequential disease outbreaks. Herein, high-throughput sequencing was used to determine the kidney-associated microbiome of a bat species abundant in Grenada, West Indies, spp. Results indicate that the kidney of these bats can carry potential human pathogens. An endogenous retrovirus, endogenous retrovirus isolate 824, phylogenetically related to betaretroviruses from rodents and New World primates, was also identified.