Project Title: Bat ecology and zoonotic disease transmission

Project Implementation period: 2019

Project lead: Louisa Sawyerr

Project description:

Bats have been associated with many zoonotic diseases especially viral infections. Their ability to fly from one place to the other presents them the opportunity to contaminate areas visited via their faecal matter other body fluids. In some areas in Ghana, they live closely with human habitation where the possibility of transmission from bats to humans and vice versa is very likely. It is therefore important for continuous surveillance in bats to determine the likely pathogens they carry and the possibility of transmission to humans.

Donor: UG- Carnegie Next Generation of Academics in Africa

Objectives:

1. To isolate and characterise pathogens of bats;
2. To determine antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacteria isolated from bats.

Activities:

1. Collect samples (faeces, cloacal swabs or blood) from bats;
2. Use various identification techniques to isolate and characterise pathogens;
3. Perform agar dilutions and disk diffusion methods for testing antimicrobial sensitivity.