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).

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.

First record of Myotis albescens (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) in French Guiana.

Background: Myotis albescens occurs from Mexico southward to Uruguay and Argentina. The species is known for all South American countries except French Guiana and Chile.

New Information: Based on one specimen recently collected in French Guiana we fill part of the gap in the distribution of the species in South America.

Novel polyomaviruses in South American bats and their relationship to other members of the family Polyomaviridae.

Bats are the natural reservoir of a variety of viruses, including a polyomavirus (PyV) from a North American brown bat. We investigated 163 spleen samples from 22 bat species from French Guiana for the presence of PyVs. In total, we detected 25 PyV-positive animals belonging to nine different bat species.

Dengue infection in neotropical forest mammals.

In South America, dengue is the arbovirus-transmitted disease with the highest incidence. Unlike other arboviruses, wild mammals have no confirmed role in the cycle of dengue in the neotropics, although serological studies have suggested a possible secondary amplification cycle involving mammals other than nonhuman primates. In French Guiana, where all four serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, DENV-4) are present, the disease is endemic with outbreak events.