Abstract
An eco-epidemiological investigation was carried out on Madagascar bat communities to better understand the evolutionary mechanisms and environmental factors that affect virus transmission among bat species in closely related members of the genus Morbillivirus, currently referred to as Unclassified Morbilli-related paramyxoviruses (UMRVs). A total of 947 bats were investigated originating from 52 capture sites (22 caves, 18 buildings, and 12 outdoor sites) distributed over different bioclimatic zones of the island. Using RT-PCR targeting the L-polymerase gene of the Paramyxoviridae family, we found that 10.5% of sampled bats were infected, representing six out of seven families and 15 out of 31 species analyzed. Univariate analysis indicates that both abiotic and biotic factors may promote viral infection. Using generalized linear modeling of UMRV infection overlaid on biotic and abiotic variables, we demonstrate that sympatric occurrence of bats is a major factor for virus transmission. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that all paramyxoviruses infecting Malagasy bats are UMRVs and showed little host specificity. Analyses using the maximum parsimony reconciliation tool CoRe-PA, indicate that host-switching, rather than co-speciation, is the dominant macro-evolutionary mechanism of UMRVs among Malagasy bats.
Highlights
The transgression of the species barrier by pathogens moving from their natural host reservoir to infect a new host species, may induce an abortive infection in the few infected individuals of the new host, or trigger a short lived outbreak, or an epidemic[1,2]
The overall Unclassified Morbilli-Related Viruses (UMRVs) infection rate in Malagasy bats was 10.5%, we found that in some cases, that certain bat families or species showed higher PV detection rates
Statistical modeling demonstrated that environments supporting multiple species are positively associated to viral transmission, with a marginal effect of natural habitats being more prone to PV infection, whereas habitat type alone was not a significant predictor of infection
Summary
The transgression of the species barrier by pathogens moving from their natural host reservoir to infect a new host species ( referred to as host-switching, host-jumping or host-shifting), may induce an abortive infection in the few infected individuals of the new host, or trigger a short lived outbreak, or an epidemic[1,2]. The often gregarious roosting behavior of bats and an assortment of different ecological parameters (e.g., climate, season, and migration) are important factors that can shape viral transmission dynamics, which subsequently act upon evolutionary processes[10,11,13,18]. Deciphering such mechanisms helps to understand how a virus hosted in wild animals can emerge as a pathogen in human populations[19]. Malagasy Miniopterus, a notably speciose genus, colonized the island from an African source population approximately between 4.5 and 2.5 Mya, followed by a second phase between 2.5 and 1 Mya[32]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
