Geology topics

Elsa M. Cárdenas-Canales

Publications and source records attributed to Elsa M. Cárdenas-Canales.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2025

Transporting common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) by land: Design of a transport container and care during transit

Introduction: To comply with biosafety regulations for the transport of wild-caught common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) by land from San Luis Potosí, Mexico to Madison, Wisconsin, USA, we designed a unique container that allowed for feeding (with bovine blood) while maintaining a sealed environment and preventing escape of animals or potential sources of infectious materials (e.g., spills, aerosols). Methods: The container was designed by modifying a commercially available mouse transport container and installing a tube/syringe system that allowed delivering and retrieving the blood during the feeding session and cleaning afterward. We transported 93 vampire bats in ten transport containers with no more than ten individuals per container. Conclusion: During transit, the vampire bats acclimated well to the novel environment and were able to access blood during feeding. Although one bat was found dead on arrival, the remaining 92 were transported without complications and deposited at a biosafety level 3 facility once in the U.S.

Applied Biosafety↗

USGS2022

Social effects of rabies infection in male vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus)

Rabies virus (RABV) transmitted by the common vampire bat ( Desmodus rotundus ) poses a threat to agricultural development and public health throughout the Neotropics. The ecology and evolution of rabies host-pathogen dynamics are influenced by two infection-induced behavioral changes. RABV-infected hosts often exhibit increased aggression which facilitates transmission, and rabies also leads to reduced activity and paralysis prior to death. Although several studies document rabies-induced behavioral changes in rodents and other dead-end hosts, surprisingly few studies have measured these changes in vampire bats, the key natural reservoir throughout Latin America. Here, we take advantage of an experiment designed to test the safety and efficacy of an oral rabies vaccine in captive male vampire bats to quantify for the first time how rabies affects allogrooming and aggressive behaviors in the vampire bat. Compared to non-rabid vampire bats, rabid individuals reduced their allogrooming prior to death, but we did not detect increases in aggression among bats. To put our results in context, we review what is known and what remains unclear about behavioral changes of rabid vampire bats.

Biology Letters↗