Which two diseases are identified as the most serious bat-associated diseases affecting people?

• A. Rabies and histoplasmosis
• B. Rabies and malaria
• C. Histoplasmosis and Ebola
• D. Hantavirus and rabies

Answer: (A)

Rabies and histoplasmosis are the two diseases most often identified as the most serious bat-associated illnesses for people. Rabies is a viral disease carried by bats and can be transmitted through bites or saliva; once symptoms start, it is almost always fatal, making it the top urgent health risk from bat exposures. Histoplasmosis comes from inhaling spores of Histoplasma capsulatum that thrive in bat guano, often in caves or roosts; while exposure doesn’t always cause illness, it can lead to severe respiratory disease, especially in people with weakened immune systems. The other options mix diseases not primarily tied to bats—malaria is mosquito-borne, hantavirus is largely associated with rodents, and Ebola is linked to fruit bats but is not considered a common bat-associated disease in typical pest management contexts—so the rabies–histoplasmosis pairing best reflects the main bat-related health threats.