Toxicokinetic analysis of the anticoagulant rodenticides warfarin & diphacinone in Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) as a comparative sensitivity assessment for Bonin fruit bats (Pteropus pselaphon). | LitMetric
Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, N18 W9, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan; School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, Great East Road PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia. Electronic address:
Published: September 2022
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Article Abstract
Anticoagulant rodenticides have been widely used to eliminate wild rodents, which as invasive species on remote islands can disturb ecosystems. Since rodenticides can cause wildlife poisoning, it is necessary to evaluate the sensitivity of local mammals and birds to the poisons to ensure the rodenticides are used effectively. The Bonin Islands are an archipelago located 1000 km southeast of the Japanese mainland and are famous for the unique ecosystems. Here the first-generation anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone has been used against introduced black rats (Rattus rattus). The only land mammal native to the archipelago is the Bonin fruit bat (Pteropus pselaphon), but little is known regarding its sensitivity to rodenticides. In this study, the Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) was used as a model animal for in vivo pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics analysis and in vitro enzyme kinetics using their hepatic microsomal fractions. The structure of vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1), the target protein of the rodenticide in the Bonin fruit bat, was predicted from its genome and its binding affinity to rodenticides was evaluated. The Egyptian fruit bats excreted diphacinone slowly and showed similar sensitivity to rats. In contrast, they excreted warfarin, another first-generation rodenticide, faster than rats and recovered from the toxic effect faster. An in silico binding study also indicated that the VKORC1 of fruit bats is relatively tolerant to warfarin, but binds strongly to diphacinone. These results suggest that even chemicals with the same mode of action display different sensitivities in different species: fruit bat species are relatively resistant to warfarin, but vulnerable to diphacinone.
- The study investigates the role of Piwi proteins and piRNAs in protecting the genome of
Rhodnius prolixus
, a hemipteran insect known to transmit Chagas disease, from DNA damage caused by horizontally transferred transposable elements (HTTs) acquired from its diet.
- By using SmallRNA-Seq and RNA-Seq techniques, researchers quantified piRNA features and gene expression levels, revealing that piRNA production peaks during embryogenesis, correlating with reduced expression of HTTs and resident transposable elements.
- The findings highlight that while resident transposable element piRNAs engage in a typical ping-pong amplification mechanism, the response to HTTs is different, suggesting unique biogenesis and functional pathways for pi
Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Suedufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Bats are considered the primary hosts for many coronaviruses, particularly Betacoronaviruses, which can cause severe respiratory diseases in humans.
Research showed that Egyptian fruit bats were more susceptible to respiratory infections (like SARS-CoV-2) compared to oral infections, with significant differences in virus shedding and immune response.
The study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 is likely inactivated in the bats' stomachs, making oral infections less effective, highlighting the unique pathology of coronavirus infections in bats.
Background: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an abundant RNA epitranscriptomic modification in eukaryotes. The m6A machinery includes cellular writer, eraser and reader proteins that regulate m6A. () (the Australian black flying fox) and () (the Egyptian fruit bat) are bats associated with several viral zoonoses yet neglected in the field of m6A epigenetics studies.
The Marburg and Ebola viruses belong to the Filoviridae family and are known to cause emerging zoonotic diseases. These viruses have a high case fatality rate and are easily transmissible from person to person, which makes them capable of triggering outbreaks, including in non-endemic regions, and are also considered agents of bioterrorism. Fruit bats are the natural reservoirs of these filoviruses.
Bats are known to host zoonotic viruses, including henipaviruses that cause high fatality rates in humans (Nipah virus and Hendra virus). However, the determinants of zoonotic spillover are generally unknown, as the ecological and demographic drivers of viral circulation in bats are difficult to ascertain without longitudinal data. Here we analyse serological data collected from African straw-coloured fruit bats () in Ghana over the course of 2 years and across four sites, comprising three wild roosts and one captive colony.
