Host attributes and environmental factors affecting the prevalence and abundance of helminths in the broad-tailed bat Nyctinomops laticaudatus.

Studies of bat helminth communities are relatively rare compared with those of other vertebrate groups. Additionally, the relationships between host attributes and environmental factors and the presence and abundance of helminths in bats have seldom been examined. In this study, we evaluated how host traits and environmental conditions may influence the prevalence and abundance of helminths in two cave-dwelling populations of the broad-tailed bat Nyctinomops laticaudatus in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. From January 2024 to May 2025, specimens of N. laticaudatus were captured from Calcehtok and Homún and examined for helminths. The helminth fauna recorded in N. laticaudatus consisted of 17 taxa, seven of which exhibited a prevalence higher than 10% and were analysed using generalised linear models and generalised linear mixed models: Brachylecithum rileyi, Limatulum nanum, Ochoterenatrema sp., Urotrema spp., Vampirolepis spp., Aonchotheca pulchra, and Anoplostrongylus allami. Prevalence and abundance were associated with the host traits and environmental factors analysed. Females had a higher probability of infection with helminths such as B. rileyi. Prevalence tended to differ between juveniles and adults for Urotrema spp. Non-reproductive bats and individuals from Calcehtok exhibited higher prevalences of parasites such as Vampirolepis spp. and L. nanum, respectively. Ochoterenatrema sp. and Vampirolepis spp. exhibited lower prevalence and abundance during months with reduced rainfall and higher temperatures, respectively. This study provides new information on the helminths associated with molossid bats and highlights the influence of host attributes and environmental conditions on helminth community structure.