Record of Alopecia in the Bat Artibeus Jamaicensis in Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico

    February 2024 in “ Therya notes ”
    Itandehui Hernández‐Aguilar, Consuelo Lorenzo, Jorge Bolaños-Citalán, Gloria Tapia-Ramírez, Jesús R. Hernández‐Montero
    TLDR A bat in Veracruz, México, was found with hair loss likely due to an injury and infection.
    This report documents the first recorded case of alopecia in bats in Veracruz, México, specifically in an adult male Artibeus jamaicensis. During a field trip on September 25, 2022, in a semi-evergreen forest in Córdoba, Veracruz, 40 bats were captured, including the affected A. jamaicensis. The bat exhibited alopecia on the head, neck, right shoulder, and chest, with a gelatinous lesion on the chest. This is the second record of alopecia in A. jamaicensis in México. The alopecia is suspected to have resulted from a thoracic injury, potentially exacerbated by a bacterial or fungal infection.
    Discuss this study in the Community →