BATHOGEN: a dataset of bat-associated pathogens to support zoonotic disease surveillance initiatives in Brazil
2026-08-07
Bats are hosts of many pathogens with zoonotic potential. We built a comprehensive database of records of bat-pathogen associations in Brazil to support zoonotic disease surveillance initiatives. A systematic search across several free-access databases and specialized digital repositories was conducted to compile this dataset, which contains 1,829 records of bat-associated pathogens, including 1,221 pathogen taxa and 111 bat taxa. Viruses were present in most associations, followed by bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. The highest number of pathogen records was found in phyllostomid frugivorous bats. Bat species Artibeus lituratus , Carollia perspicillata , Desmodus rotundus , and Molossus molossus present the highest numbers of associations with pathogens (bacteria, fungi, protozoans, and viruses). Southeastern and Southern Brazil presented the highest pathogen diversity, which is possibly related to the effort and ease of surveying in these regions, whereas the Central, Northern, and Northeastern regions showed the lowest diversity. Our dataset is a single open-source dataset built to support zoonosis surveillance systems in Brazil and is also useful for wildlife health, epidemiology, disease ecology, biodiversity, and species conservation.