Descriptive and Comparative Histology of the Urinary System of the Hematophagous Bats <i>Desmodus</i> <i>rotundus</i> and <i>Diphylla</i> <i>ecaudata</i>

Abstract

Desmodus rotundus and Diphylla ecaudata, both of which are mammals of the order Chiroptera, Desmodontidae family, their diet consisting exclusively of blood. D. rotundus is the main vector and transmitter of the rabies virus, which affects human beings as well as several livestock species so the study of this bat species is of high importance within the fields of animal agriculture and public health. The present study describes and compares the histologic characteristics of the urinary system of two hematophagous bat species. A total of 5 bats from each species were captured in the municipalities of Progreso de Obregón, Hidalgo (D. rotundus), and Huayacocotla, Veracruz (D. ecaudata). Organs belonging to the urinary system were extracted: kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra; samples were fixed using 10% formalin and processed by the paraffin embedding technique, obtaining sections of 5 µm thickness, which in turn were stained using hematoxylin-eosin (H-E) and Gomori trichrome (GT) stains. From the obtained histologic preparations, a descriptive and comparative analysis of the structural organography of the urinary system of both species was made, and no noteworthy histological differences between samples were noted. The present research is intended to provide a framework for future studies of these species' currently understudied microscopic anatomy.