Bat species assemblage predicts coronavirus prevalence

0585693 - ÚBO 2025 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Meyer, M. - Melville, D. W. - Baldwin, H. J. - Wilhelm, K. - Nkrumah, E. E. - Badu, E. K. - Oppong, S. K. - Schwensow, N. - Stow, A. - Vallo, Peter - Corman, V. M. - Tschapka, M. - Drosten, C. - Sommer, S.
Bat species assemblage predicts coronavirus prevalence.
Nature Communications. Roč. 15, č. 1 (2024), č. článku 2887. E-ISSN 2041-1723
Institutional support: RVO:68081766
Keywords : west-nile-virus * community composition * sars-like * diversity * biodiversity * disease * conservation * risk * betacoronavirus * hipposideridae
OECD category: Ecology
Impact factor: 16.6, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46979-1

Anthropogenic disturbances and the subsequent loss of biodiversity are altering species abundances and communities. Since species vary in their pathogen competence, spatio-temporal changes in host assemblages may lead to changes in disease dynamics. We explore how longitudinal changes in bat species assemblages affect the disease dynamics of coronaviruses (CoVs) in more than 2300 cave-dwelling bats captured over two years from five caves in Ghana. This reveals uneven CoV infection patterns between closely related species, with the alpha-CoV 229E-like and SARS-related beta-CoV 2b emerging as multi-host pathogens. Prevalence and infection likelihood for both phylogenetically distinct CoVs is influenced by the abundance of competent species and naive subadults. Broadly, bat species vary in CoV competence, and highly competent species are more common in less diverse communities, leading to increased CoV prevalence in less diverse bat assemblages. In line with the One Health framework, our work supports the notion that biodiversity conservation may be the most proactive measure to prevent the spread of pathogens with zoonotic potential.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0353393