Dataset Information

Bat Rabies in the Americas: Is Myotis the Main Ancestral Spreader?

ABSTRACT: The rabies virus (RABV) is the exclusive lyssavirus affecting both wild and domestic mammalian hosts in the Americas, including humans. Additionally, the Americas stand out as the sole region where bat rabies occurs. While carnivore rabies is being increasingly managed across the region, bats are emerging as significant reservoirs of RABV infection for humans and domestic animals. Knowledge of the bat species maintaining rabies and comprehending cross-species transmission (CST) and host shift processes are pivotal for directing surveillance as well as ecological research involving wildlife reservoir hosts. Prior research indicates that bat RABV CST is influenced by host genetic similarity and geographic overlap, reflecting host adaptation. In this study, we compiled and analyzed a comprehensive nucleoprotein gene dataset representing bat-borne RABV diversity in Argentina and the broader Americas using Bayesian phylogenetics. We examined the association between host genus and geography, finding both factors shaping the global phylogenetic structure. Utilizing a phylogeographic approach, we inferred CST and identified key bat hosts driving transmission. Consistent with CST determinants, we observed monophyletic/paraphyletic clustering of most bat genera in the RABV phylogeny, with stronger CST evidence between host genera of the same family. We further discuss Myotis as a potential ancestral spreader of much of RABV diversity.

SUBMITTER: Caraballo DA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11359690 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Bat Rabies in the Americas: Is <i>Myotis</i> the Main Ancestral Spreader?

Caraballo Diego A DA Vico María Lorena ML Piccirilli María Guadalupe MG Hirmas Riade Stella Maris SM Russo Susana S Martínez Gustavo G Beltrán Fernando J FJ Cisterna Daniel M DM

Viruses 20240816 8

The rabies virus (RABV) is the exclusive lyssavirus affecting both wild and domestic mammalian hosts in the Americas, including humans. Additionally, the Americas stand out as the sole region where bat rabies occurs. While carnivore rabies is being increasingly managed across the region, bats are emerging as significant reservoirs of RABV infection for humans and domestic animals. Knowledge of the bat species maintaining rabies and comprehending cross-species transmission (CST) and host shift pr ...[more]

PMID: 39205276

Similar Datasets

Project description:The two sibling bat species Myotis myotis and Myotis blythii occur in sympatry over wide areas of Southern and Central Europe. Morphological, ecological and previous genetic evidence supported the view that the two species constitute two well-differentiated groups, but recent phylogenetic analyses have shown that the two species share some mtDNA haplotypes when they occur in sympatry. In order to see whether some genetic exchange has occurred between the two species, we sequenced a highly variable segment of the mitochondrial control region in both species living in sympatry and in allopatry. We also analysed the nuclear diversity of 160 individuals of both species found in two mixed nursery colonies located north and south of the Alps. MtDNA analysis confirmed that European M. blythii share multiple, identical or very similar haplotypes with M. myotis. Since allopatric Asian M. blythii presents mtDNA sequences that are very divergent from those of the two species found in Europe, we postulate that the mitochondrial genome of the European M. blythii has been replaced by that of M. myotis. The analysis of nuclear diversity shows a strikingly different pattern, as both species are well differentiated within mixed nursery colonies (F(ST) = 0.18). However, a Bayesian analysis of admixture reveals that the hybrids can be frequently observed, as about 25% of sampled M. blythii show introgressed genes of M. myotis origin. In contrast, less than 4% of the M. myotis analysed were classified as non-parental genotypes, revealing an asymmetry in the pattern of hybridization between the two species. These results show that the two species can interbreed and that the hybridization is still ongoing in the areas of sympatry. The persistence of well-differentiated nuclear gene pools, in spite of an apparent replacement of mitochondrial genome in European M. blythii by that of M. myotis, is best explained by a series of introgression events having occurred repeatedly during the recent colonization of Europe by M. blythii from Asia. The sharp contrast obtained from the analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear markers further points to the need to cautiously interpret results based on a single class of genetic markers.

Dataset Information

Bat Rabies in the Americas: Is Myotis the Main Ancestral Spreader?

Publications

Bat Rabies in the Americas: Is <i>Myotis</i> the Main Ancestral Spreader?

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets

Dataset Information

Bat Rabies in the Americas: Is Myotis the Main Ancestral Spreader?

Publications

Bat Rabies in the Americas: Is &lt;i&gt;Myotis&lt;/i&gt; the Main Ancestral Spreader?

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets

Bat Rabies in the Americas: Is <i>Myotis</i> the Main Ancestral Spreader?