Blood sucker bats just got even scarier
VAMPIRE bats carry a potentially deadly heart bug, a study warns.
Bartonella bacteria causes endocarditis, which can kill humans and pets.
The creatures live on blood which they obtain by biting, creating the risk for transmission to other species. Two out of three vampire bats tested in Belize and Peru, where they are very common, had the bug.
The researchers from Montana State University in the US also investigated how infection might spread between individuals.
They found traces of the bug in saliva and droppings, suggesting it could be transmitted via environmental contamination as well as from biting.