Six new Bartonella species isolated from bats in Senegal.

Bartonella species are host-associated Pseudomonadota causing various human diseases and a broad range of clinical manifestations. These bacteria are primarily maintained in animal reservoirs and transmitted to humans through direct contact or via haematophagous vectors. In this study, six novel Bartonella species - Bartonella numerosa sp. nov. strain CB178T (=CSUR B1106T=JCM 36790T), Bartonella vaga sp. nov. strain CB169T (=CSUR B1103T=JCM 36788T), Bartonella occidentalis sp. nov. strain CB175T (=CSUR B1104T=JCM 36789T), Bartonella rhinolophi sp. nov. strain CB74T (=CSUR B1102T=JCM 36787T), Bartonella eidoli sp. nov. strain CB189T (=CSUR B1105T=JCM 36791T) and Bartonella propinqua sp. nov. strain CB54T (=CSUR B1101T=JCM 36786T) - were isolated from Eidolon helvum, Rhinolophus fumigatus and Epomophorus gambianus bats in Senegal. Phylogenetic analyses of these species reveal their widespread distribution across Africa. Notably, B. vaga, isolated from E. helvum, clusters with rodent-associated Bartonella strains. This highlights the importance of studying both hosts, which may serve as reservoirs for Bartonella species and potentially contribute to the emergence of zoonotic diseases. All strains are Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped and non-spore-forming. The predominant cellular fatty acids of strains CB169T, CB175T, CB74T and CB54T were C18 : 1  ω7c, C18 : 0 and C16 : 0, except for strains CB178T and CB189T, in which C18 : 1  ω7c, C16 : 0 and C18 : 0 were dominant.