Foraging and mating behaviors of at the bat-human interface in a central African rainforest.

Studying wildlife space use in human-modified environments contributes to characterize wildlife-human interactions to assess potential risks of zoonotic-pathogens transmission, and to pinpoint conservation issues. In central African rainforests with human dwelling and activities, we conducted a telemetry study on a group of males of a lek-mating fruit bat identified as a potential maintenance host for Ebola virus. During a lekking season in 2020, we investigated the foraging-habitat selection and the individual nighttime space use during both mating and foraging activities close to villages and their surrounding agricultural landscape.

COMPARING ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE IN FREE-RANGING VS. CAPTIVE AFRICAN WILD HERBIVORES.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a critical challenge of the 21st century for public and animal health. The role of host biodiversity and the environment in the evolution and transmission of resistant bacteria between populations and species, and specifically at the wildlife-livestock-human interface, needs to be further investigated. We evaluated the AMR of commensal Escherichia coli in three mammalian herbivore species-impala (Aepyceros melampus), greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), and plains zebra (Equus quagga)-targeting populations living under two conditions: captivity (French zoos) and free ranging (natural and private parks in Zimbabwe).

Longitudinal Survey of Coronavirus Circulation and Diversity in Insectivorous Bat Colonies in Zimbabwe.

Background: Studies have linked bats to outbreaks of viral diseases in human populations such as SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV and the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Methods: We carried out a longitudinal survey from August 2020 to July 2021 at two sites in Zimbabwe with bat-human interactions: Magweto cave and Chirundu farm. A total of 1732 and 1866 individual bat fecal samples were collected, respectively.

Dynamics of Antibodies to Ebolaviruses in an Bat Colony in Cameroon.

The ecology of ebolaviruses is still poorly understood and the role of bats in outbreaks needs to be further clarified. Straw-colored fruit bats () are the most common fruit bats in Africa and antibodies to ebolaviruses have been documented in this species. Between December 2018 and November 2019, samples were collected at approximately monthly intervals in roosting and feeding sites from 820 bats from an colony.

Detection and genetic diversity of Mopeia virus in Mastomys natalensis from different habitats in the Limpopo National Park, Mozambique.

Mammarenaviruses have been a growing concern for public health in Africa since the 1970s when Lassa virus cases in humans were first described in west Africa. In southern Africa, a single outbreak of Lujo virus was reported to date in South Africa in 2008 with a case fatality rate of 80%. The natural reservoir of Lassa virus is Mastomys natalensis while for the Lujo virus the natural host has yet to be identified.

Mapping of Ebola virus spillover: Suitability and seasonal variability at the landscape scale.

The unexpected Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa in 2014 involving the Zaire ebolavirus made clear that other regions outside Central Africa, its previously documented niche, were at risk of future epidemics. The complex transmission cycle and a lack of epidemiological data make mapping areas at risk of the disease challenging. We used a Geographic Information System-based multicriteria evaluation (GIS-MCE), a knowledge-based approach, to identify areas suitable for Ebola virus spillover to humans in regions of Guinea, Congo and Gabon where Ebola viruses already emerged.

First investigation of pathogenic bacteria, protozoa and viruses in rodents and shrews in context of forest-savannah-urban areas interface in the city of Franceville (Gabon).

Rodents are reservoirs of numerous zoonotic diseases caused by bacteria, protozoans, or viruses. In Gabon, the circulation and maintenance of rodent-borne zoonotic infectious agents are poorly studied and are often limited to one type of pathogen. Among the three existing studies on this topic, two are focused on a zoonotic virus, and the third is focused on rodent Plasmodium.

At Least Seven Distinct Rotavirus Genotype Constellations in Bats with Evidence of Reassortment and Zoonotic Transmissions.

Bats host many viruses pathogenic to humans, and increasing evidence suggests that rotavirus A (RVA) also belongs to this list. Rotaviruses cause diarrheal disease in many mammals and birds, and their segmented genomes allow them to reassort and increase their genetic diversity. Eighteen out of 2,142 bat fecal samples (0.

Patterns of foraging activity and fidelity in a southeast Asian flying fox.

Background: Improved understanding of the foraging ecology of bats in the face of ongoing habitat loss and modification worldwide is essential to their conservation and maintaining the substantial ecosystem services they provide. It is also fundamental to assessing potential transmission risks of zoonotic pathogens in human-wildlife interfaces. We evaluated the influence of environmental and behavioral variables on the foraging patterns of Pteropus lylei (a reservoir of Nipah virus) in a heterogeneous landscape in Cambodia.

Next-Generation Sequencing on Insectivorous Bat Guano: An Accurate Tool to Identify Arthropod Viruses of Potential Agricultural Concern.

Viruses belonging to the family have attracted a great deal of attention from scientists owing to their negative impact on agricultural economics, as well as their recent identification as potential aetiological agents of febrile illness in human patients. On the other hand, some Dicistroviruses are also studied for their potential biopesticide properties. To date, Dicistrovirus characterized in African mainland remain scarce.

Spatial and seasonal patterns of FMD primary outbreaks in cattle in Zimbabwe between 1931 and 2016.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an important livestock disease impacting mainly intensive production systems. In southern Africa, the FMD virus is maintained in wildlife and its control is therefore complicated. However, FMD control is an important task to allow countries access to lucrative foreign meat market and veterinary services implement drastic control measures on livestock populations living in the periphery of protected areas, negatively impacting local small-scale livestock producers.

Ebola Virus Maintenance: If Not (Only) Bats, What Else?

The maintenance mechanisms of ebolaviruses in African forest ecosystems are still unknown, but indirect evidences point at the involvement of some bat species. Despite intense research, the main bat-maintenance hypothesis has not been confirmed yet. The alternative hypotheses of a non-bat maintenance host or a maintenance community including, or not, several bat and other species, deserves more investigation.

Circulation of Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus and Paramyxovirus in Hipposideros bat species in Zimbabwe.

Bats carry a great diversity of zoonotic viruses with a high-impact on human health and livestock. Since the emergence of new coronaviruses and paramyxoviruses in humans (e.g.

Exploring the diversity of blood-sucking Diptera in caves of Central Africa.

Caves house pathogenic microorganisms, some of which are transmitted by blood-sucking arthropods. In Africa, previous studies identified mosquitoes, sand flies and biting midges as the main potential vectors of cave-dwelling pathogens. However, to understand their involvement in pathogen spillover, it is crucial to characterize their diversity, community composition and dynamics.

MERS-CoV at the Animal-Human Interface: Inputs on Exposure Pathways from an Expert-Opinion Elicitation.

Nearly 4 years after the first report of the emergence of Middle-East respiratory syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and nearly 1800 human cases later, the ecology of MERS-CoV, its epidemiology, and more than risk factors of MERS-CoV transmission between camels are poorly understood. Knowledge about the pathways and mechanisms of transmission from animals to humans is limited; as of yet, transmission risks have not been quantified. Moreover the divergent sanitary situations and exposures to animals among populations in the Arabian Peninsula, where human primary cases appear to dominate, vs.

Bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) infesting cave-dwelling bats in Gabon: diversity, dynamics and potential role in Polychromophilus melanipherus transmission.

Background: Evidence of haemosporidian infections in bats and bat flies has motivated a growing interest in characterizing their transmission cycles. In Gabon (Central Africa), many caves house massive colonies of bats that are known hosts of Polychromophilus Dionisi parasites, presumably transmitted by blood-sucking bat flies. However, the role of bat flies in bat malaria transmission remains under-documented.

Identification of an unclassified paramyxovirus in Coleura afra: a potential case of host specificity.

Bats are known to harbor multiple paramyxoviruses. Despite the creation of two new genera, Aquaparamyxovirus and Ferlavirus, to accommodate this increasing diversity, several recently isolated or characterized viruses remain unclassified beyond the subfamily level. In the present study, among 985 bats belonging to 6 species sampled in the Belinga caves of Gabon, RNA of an unclassified paramyxovirus (Belinga bat virus, BelPV) was discovered in 14 African sheath-tailed bats (Coleura afra), one of which exhibited several hemorrhagic lesions at necropsy, and viral sequence was obtained in two animals.

Parasite and viral species richness of Southeast Asian bats: Fragmentation of area distribution matters.

Interest in bat-borne diseases and parasites has grown in the past decade over concerns for human health. However, the drivers of parasite diversity among bat host species are understudied as are the links between parasite richness and emerging risks. Thus, we aimed at exploring factors that explain macro and microparasite species richness in bats from Southeast Asia, a hotspot of emerging infectious diseases.

Bat distribution size or shape as determinant of viral richness in african bats.

The rising incidence of emerging infectious diseases (EID) is mostly linked to biodiversity loss, changes in habitat use and increasing habitat fragmentation. Bats are linked to a growing number of EID but few studies have explored the factors of viral richness in bats. These may have implications for role of bats as potential reservoirs.

Evidence for novel hepaciviruses in rodents.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is among the most relevant causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Research is complicated by a lack of accessible small animal models. The systematic investigation of viruses of small mammals could guide efforts to establish such models, while providing insight into viral evolutionary biology.

The chiropteran haemosporidian Polychromophilus melanipherus: a worldwide species complex restricted to the family Miniopteridae.

This paper attempts to expand on the current knowledge regarding the evolutionary history of bat haemosporidian parasites. Using modern molecular tools as adjuncts to existing morphological descriptions, our understanding of the diversity of these parasites is discussed. The biogeography and host range distribution together with possible host-parasite interactions remain to be evaluated in more detail.

Is Marburg virus enzootic in Gabon?

Marburg virus (MARV) nucleic acid was detected in Rousettus aegyptiacus bats in 2005 and 2006 in the midwest and southeast of Gabon. In this study we used MARV-specific real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and MARV-specific nested RT-PCR assay to screen 1257 bats caught during July 2009, December 2009, and June 2010 in 3 caves situated in northern Gabon. Nine specimens tested positive by the real-time assay, with cycle threshold values ranging from 35 to 39, of which only 1 R.