How Social Structure Drives the Population Dynamics of the Common Vampire Bat (Desmodus rotundus, Phyllostomidae).

Social systems are major drivers of population structure and gene flow, with important effects on dynamics and dispersal of associated populations of parasites. Among bats, the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) has likely one of the most complex social structures. Using autosomal and mitochondrial markers on vampires from Mexico, French Guiana, and North Brazil, from both roosting and foraging areas, we observed an isolation by distance at the wider scale and lower but significant differentiation between closer populations (<50 km).

Virome analysis of two sympatric bat species (Desmodus rotundus and Molossus molossus) in French Guiana.

Environmental disturbances in the Neotropics (e.g., deforestation, agriculture intensification, urbanization) contribute to an increasing risk of cross-species transmission of microorganisms and to disease outbreaks due to changing ecosystems of reservoir hosts.

Spatial pattern of genetic diversity and selection in the MHC class II DRB of three Neotropical bat species.

Background: Although bats are natural reservoirs of many pathogens, few studies have been conducted on the genetic variation and detection of selection in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes. These genes are critical for resistance and susceptibility to diseases, and host-pathogen interactions are major determinants of their extensive polymorphism. Here we examined spatial patterns of diversity of the expressed MHC class II DRB gene of three sympatric Neotropical bats, Carollia perspicillata and Desmodus rotundus (Phyllostomidae), and Molossus molossus (Molossidae), all of which use the same environments (e.

Bioecological Drivers of Rabies Virus Circulation in a Neotropical Bat Community.

Introduction: In addition to the commonly accepted importance of the vampire bat in the maintenance and transmission of the rabies virus (RABV) in South America, RABV infection of other species is widely evidenced, challenging their role in the viral cycle.

Methodology / Principles Findings: To identify the bioecological drivers of RABV circulation in neotropical bat communities, we conducted a molecular and serological survey on almost 1,000 bats from 30 species, and a 4-year longitudinal survey in two colonies of vampire bats in French Guiana. RABV was molecularly detected in a common vampire and in a frugivorous bat.

COIL: a methodology for evaluating malarial complexity of infection using likelihood from single nucleotide polymorphism data.

Background: Complex malaria infections are defined as those containing more than one genetically distinct lineage of Plasmodium parasite. Complexity of infection (COI) is a useful parameter to estimate from patient blood samples because it is associated with clinical outcome, epidemiology and disease transmission rate. This manuscript describes a method for estimating COI using likelihood, called COIL, from a panel of bi-allelic genotyping assays.

Novel DNA polymerase mutations conferring cytomegalovirus resistance: input of BAC-recombinant phenotyping and 3D model.

Long-term exposure to antiviral therapy in immunocompromised patients favors emergence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) resistance mutations. Two new UL54 DNA polymerase mutations (deletion of codon 524 and N408S substitution) identified in a kidney recipient and a bone marrow recipient respectively were characterized. Marker transfer experiment through recombination into a HCMV AD169 BAC demonstrated del524 and mutation N408S confer GCV and CDV resistance.