Mechanisms for lyssavirus persistence in non-synanthropic bats in Europe: insights from a modeling study

Davide Colombi,Hervé Bourhy,Chiara Poletto,Raphaëlle Métras,Andrea Apolloni,Jordi Serra-Cobo,Vittoria Colizza,Marc López-Roig

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-36485-y

Abstract

Bats are natural reservoirs of the largest proportion of viral zoonoses among mammals, thus understanding the conditions for pathogen persistence in bats is essential to reduce human risk. Focusing on the European Bat Lyssavirus subtype 1 (EBLV-1), causing rabies disease, we develop a data-driven spatially explicit metapopulation model to investigate EBLV-1 persistence in Myotis myotis and Miniopterus schreibersii bat species in Catalonia. We find that persistence relies on host spatial structure through the migratory nature of M. schreibersii, on cross-species mixing with M. myotis, and on survival of infected animals followed by temporary immunity. The virus would not persist in the single colony of M. myotis. Our study provides for the first time epidemiological estimates for EBLV-1 progression in M. schreibersii. Our approach can be readily adapted to other zoonoses of public health concern where long-range migration and habitat sharing may play an important role.

Highlights

Bats are reservoir hosts of a large number of zoonotic viral infections, including some of the recently emerged severe infectious diseases affecting humans[1,2,3,4]
M. myotis bats constitute a single colony located in Can Palomeres (CP) year-round where they may get in contact with M. schreibersii throughout spring/summer months
Through a spatially explicit multispecies metapopulation model based on available data from a long-term field survey on M. schreibersii and M. myotis bats in Spanish natural colonies, our study identified the main drivers for European Bat Lyssavirus subtype 1 (EBLV-1) persistence in the ecosystem under study and provide novel numerical evidence informing on previously unknown epidemiological, immunological and ecological factors

Summary

Introduction

Bats are reservoir hosts of a large number of zoonotic viral infections, including some of the recently emerged severe infectious diseases affecting humans[1,2,3,4]. They are implicated as reservoirs and vectors for transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronaviruses, Ebola and Marburg filoviruses, lyssaviruses, Hendra and Nipah viruses[1,2,4]. Other bat species are thought to be implicated in EBLV-1 circulation, with migratory species potentially assuming a prominent role in carrying the pathogen across different host populations at distant areas[38]

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Conclusion