Presence of coronaviruses in the common pipistrelle (P. pipistrellus) and Nathusius pipistrelle (P. nathusii) in relation to landscape composition
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SUBMITTER: Jaramillo Ortiz L
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10686486 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:The emergence of several bat coronavirus-related disease outbreaks in human and domestic animals has fueled surveillance of coronaviruses in bats worldwide. However, little is known about how these viruses interact with their natural hosts. We demonstrate a Betacoronavirus (subgenus Merbecovirus), PN-βCoV, in the intestine of its natural host, Nathusius's Pipistrelle Bat (Pipistrellus nathusii), by combining molecular and microscopy techniques. Eighty-eight P. nathusii bat carcasses were tested for PN-βCoV RNA by RT-qPCR, of which 25 bats (28%) tested positive. PN-βCoV RNA was more often detected in samples of the intestinal tract than in other sample types. In addition, viral RNA loads were higher in intestinal samples compared to other sample types, both on average and in each individual bat. In one bat, we demonstrated Merbecovirus antigen and PN-βCoV RNA expression in intestinal epithelium and the underlying connective tissue using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, respectively. These results indicate that PN-βCoV has a tropism for the intestinal epithelium of its natural host, Nathusius's Pipistrelle Bat, and imply that the fecal-oral route is a possible route of transmission. IMPORTANCE Virtually all mammal species circulate coronaviruses. Most of these viruses will infect one host species; however, coronaviruses are known to include species that can infect multiple hosts, for example the well-known virus that caused a pandemic, SARS-CoV-2. Chiroptera (bats) include over 1,400 different species, which are expected to harbor a great variety of coronaviruses. However, we know very little about how any of these coronaviruses interact with their bat hosts; for example, we do not know their modes of transmissions, or which cells they infect. Thus, we have a limited understanding of coronavirus infections in this important host group. The significance of our study is that we learned that a bat coronavirus that occurs in a common bat species in Europe has a tropism for the intestines. This implies the fecal-oral route is a likely transmission route.
| S-EPMC10062147 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Being diverse and widely distributed globally, bats are a known reservoir of a series of emerging zoonotic viruses. We studied fecal viromes of twenty-six bats captured in 2015 in the Moscow Region and found 13 of 26 (50%) samples to be coronavirus positive. Of P. nathusii (the Nathusius' pipistrelle), 3 of 6 samples were carriers of a novel MERS-related betacoronavirus. We sequenced and assembled the complete genome of this betacoronavirus and named it MOW-BatCoV strain 15-22. Whole genome phylogenetic analysis suggests that MOW-BatCoV/15-22 falls into a distinct subclade closely related to human and camel MERS-CoV. Unexpectedly, the phylogenetic analysis of the novel MOW-BatCoV/15-22 spike gene showed the closest similarity to CoVs from Erinaceus europaeus (European hedgehog). We suppose MOW-BatCoV could have arisen as a result of recombination between ancestral viruses of bats and hedgehogs. Molecular docking analysis of MOW-BatCoV/15-22 spike glycoprotein binding to DPP4 receptors of different mammals predicted the highest binding ability with DPP4 of the Myotis brandtii bat (docking score -320.15) and the E. europaeus (docking score -294.51). Hedgehogs are widely kept as pets and are commonly found in areas of human habitation. As this novel bat-CoV is likely capable of infecting hedgehogs, we suggest hedgehogs can act as intermediate hosts between bats and humans for other bat-CoVs.
| S-EPMC9965006 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Increasing molecular evidence supports that bats and/or their ectoparasites may harbor vector-borne bacteria, such as bartonellae and borreliae. However, the simultaneous occurrence of rickettsiae in bats and bat ticks has been poorly studied. METHODS:In this study, 54 bat carcasses and their infesting soft ticks (n = 67) were collected in Shihezi City, northwestern China. The heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, small intestine and large intestine of bats were dissected, followed by DNA extraction. Soft ticks were identified both morphologically and molecularly. All samples were examined for the presence of rickettsiae by amplifying four genetic markers (17-kDa, gltA, ompA and ompB). RESULTS:All bats were identified as Pipistrellus pipistrellus, and their ticks as Argas vespertilionis. Molecular analyses showed that DNA of Rickettsia parkeri, R. lusitaniae, R. slovaca and R. raoultii was present in bat organs/tissues. In addition, nine of the 67 bat soft ticks (13.43%) were positive for R. raoultii (n = 5) and R. rickettsii (n = 4). In the phylogenetic analysis, these bat-associated rickettsiae clustered together with conspecific sequences reported from other host and tick species, confirming the above results. CONCLUSIONS:To the best of our knowledge, DNA of R. parkeri, R. slovaca and R. raoultii was detected for the first time in bat organs/tissues. This is also the first molecular evidence for the presence of R. raoultii and R. rickettsii in bat ticks. To our knowledge, R. parkeri was not known to occur in Asia. Our results highlight the need to assess rickettsial agents in a broader range of bat species and associated tick species.
| S-EPMC6953312 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Sergei V. Kruskop, Evgeniya N. Solovyeva, and Anna D. Kaznadzey (2018) Despite huge progress in the systematics of bats and, in particular, of the Vespertilionidae family in latest years, the taxonomic position of a number of remarkable bat species has been uncertain until now, partly because of limits in acceptable comparative material. Researchers have previously placed the Malayan noctule, Pipistrellus stenopterus, into Nyctalus, because of similar body shape and proportions, or into Pipistrellus, based on karyological analysis. This study reassesses Pipistrellus stenopterus using available collection material and compares it to various members of Nyctalus and Pipistrellus, as well as with some other related and similar genera, based on respective morphological and molecular genetic features. This species demonstrates vast morphological peculiarities compared to other Pipistrellus-like bats. Nonetheless, both mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers unequivocally place it close to other Asian pipistrelles, most probably in a sister position to the "javanicus" species group. We propose establishing P. stenopterus as a separate subgenus, Alionoctula. Our results also confirm that Pipistrellus is paraphyletic in its current state, and we suggest that further studies explore its internal taxonomy and limits.
| S-EPMC6409446 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Kuhl's pipistrelle is found from Europe and North Africa all of the way to Asia, yet studies have thus far concentrated on the western limit of its distribution. Here we form a multi-marker picture of the diversity of Kuhl's pipistrelle at a mid point in the Arabian peninsula in an attempt to redress the western sampling bias and to represent a region from which no genetic data has thus far been presented for this species. The three Arabian Cytochrome b haplotypes showed a clear divergence of 19 substitutions from those found in either Europe or North Africa. Molecular dating suggests the Arabian population split from the remaining Kuhl's somewhere between 0.7 and 1.7 million years before present around the time of a series of aridification events across northern Africa. Well supported lineages within Arabia are typical of that which may be seen after an expansion from multiple Pleistocene refugia, but may also reflect the loss of intermediate haplotypes during historical population fluctuations. A long-term population contraction coincides with climatic changes towards those conditions more typical of contemporary Arabia.
| S-EPMC3582509 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The Kuhl's pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii) is a small, vespertilionid bat species, with a large range extending from the Iberian Peninsula into the Near East and the Arabian Peninsula. In this study, we determine for the first time the complete mitogenome of this species. The P. kuhlii mitogenome is 16,991 base pairs long with 37 genes and 1 control region, showing conserved gene content and order with other vertebrate mitogenomes. The length of the 22 tRNA genes ranges between 60 bp (tRNA-Ser) and 75 bp (tRNA-Leu). The D-loop region is 1553 bp long with low CG content (39.8%).
| S-EPMC7799936 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMost temperate bats are regular hibernators in the winter. Knowledge about the length of their active season and how they adjust their nightly activity throughout the season, is critical to conservation. The characteristics of these are likely to vary with climate as well as latitude. This study investigated the flight activity of the soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus in Frafjord, a small valley in the south-western corner of Norway (58° 50'N 6° 18'E) with an oceanic climate.ResultsActivity was recorded with an ultrasound recorder throughout April 2018 to June 2019 at one site, with supplemental recordings in March to June 2020, i.e., covering all months of the year. Recordings at other nearby sites were made in the summers (June-August) of 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020, as well as some of the last days in December 2019 to the first days of January 2020. Overall, soprano pipistrelles were recorded flying in all months of the year, but very few in December-March. Regular activity was recorded from late April or early May until late October, and some recordings were also made in November. The highest numbers of recordings were made in August and September. Social calls, i.e. male song flights, were recorded from April to November, with the vast majority in August and September. Nearly all recordings were made between sunset and sunrise.ConclusionsThe soprano pipistrelle in this region showed regular activity through 6-7 months of the year. It adjusted its activity to the changing night length throughout the year, closely following sunset and sunrise. It was rarely recorded flying before sunset and almost never after sunrise. Most activity was recorded in the middle of the night, and social calls also followed this trend closely. Harems in late summer and autumn were confirmed in a bat box, which was also used for winter hibernation.
| S-EPMC10127296 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We present a complete, chromosome-scale reference genome for the long-distance migratory bat Pipistrellus nathusii. The genome encompasses both haplotypic sets of autosomes and the separation of both sex chromosomes by utilizing highly accurate long-reads and preserving long-range phasing information through the use of three-dimensional chromatin conformation capture sequencing (Hi-C). This genome, accompanied by a comprehensive protein-coding sequence annotation, provides a valuable genomic resource for future investigations into the genomic bases of long-distance migratory flight in bats as well as uncovering the genetic architecture, population structure and evolutionary history of Pipistrellus nathusii. The reference-quality genome presented here gives a fundamental resource to further our understanding of bat genetics and evolution, adding to the growing number of high-quality genetic resources in this field. Here, we demonstrate its use in the phylogenetic reconstruction of the order Chiroptera, and in particular, we present the resources to allow detailed investigations into the genetic drivers and adaptations related to long-distance migration.
| S-EPMC11215541 | biostudies-literature
Project description:L. monocytogenes is a widespread facultative intracellular pathogen. The range of natural hosts that supporting L. monocytogenes persistence in the environment has not been fully established yet. In this study, we were interested in the potential of L. monocytogenes to infect cells of bats, which are being increasingly recognized as a reservoir for microorganisms that are pathogenic to humans and domestic animals. A stable epithelial cell line was developed from the kidneys of Pipistrellus nathusii, a small bat widely distributed across Europe. The wild-type L. monocytogenes strain EGDe infected this cell line with an invasion efficiency of 0.0078 ± 0.0009%. Once it entered bat cells, L. monocytogenes doubled within about 70 minutes. When L. monocytogenes lacked either of the major invasion factors, InlA and InlB, invasion efficiency decreased by a factor of 10 and 25 respectively (p < 0.000001). The obtained results suggest that bat epithelial cells are susceptible to L. monocytogenes infection and that L. monocytogenes invasion of bat cells depends on the major invasion factors InlA and InlB. These results constitute the first report on in vitro studies of L. monocytogenes infection in bats.
| S-EPMC7690591 | biostudies-literature