37 research outputs found

    Resurrection of an East African House Bat Species, Scotophilus altilis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

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    Several house bat specimens superficially resembling the white-bellied house bat Scotophilus leucogaster (Cretzschmar, 1830), were recently captured in southwestern Ethiopia and southern South Sudan. These S. cf. leucogaster differed from typical S. leucogaster by their slightly smaller size and ventral coloration, conforming instead with the original description of S. altilis Allen, 1914. Scotophilus altilis is an overlooked taxon known from the Blue Nile region in Sudan that is currently considered a junior synonym of S. leucogaster. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (cytb) sequences revealed S. cf. leucogaster as a sister clade to S. leucogaster with a genetic distance of ca. 10%. Comparative specimens of questionable S. nigritellus de Winton, 1899 from northwestern Ethiopia and a wing biopsy sample of another S. cf. leucogaster from western Kenya also fell within this clade. Sequence data from two nuclear markers (zfy and fgb7) corroborated the distinction of S. cf. leucogaster from S. leucogaster. Likewise, morphometric analysis of cranial data largely supported this distinction, as well as taxonomic affiliation with S. altilis based on comparison with the only available paratype specimen. The position of this paratype specimen within the new Scotophilus clade, inferred from analysis of a short fragment of cytb, confirmed its taxonomic identity. Based on the presented evidence, the overlooked East African taxon S. altilis should be resurrected as a full species within the genus Scotophilus

    Genome-wide changes in genetic diversity in a population of Myotis lucifugus affected by white-nose syndrome

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    Novel pathogens can cause massive declines in populations, and even extirpation of hosts. But disease can also act as a selective pressure on survivors, driving the evolution of resistance or tolerance. Bat white-nose syndrome (WNS) is a rapidly spreading wildlife disease in North America. The fungus causing the disease invades skin tissues of hibernating bats, resulting in disruption of hibernation behavior, premature energy depletion, and subsequent death. We used whole-genome sequencing to investigate changes in allele frequencies within a population of Myotis lucifugus in eastern North America to search for genetic resistance to WNS. Our results show low F-ST values within the population across time, i.e., prior to WNS (Pre-WNS) compared to the population that has survived WNS (Post-WNS). However, when dividing the population with a geographical cut-off between the states of Pennsylvania and New York, a sharp increase in values on scaffold GL429776 is evident in the Post-WNS samples. Genes present in the diverged area are associated with thermoregulation and promotion of brown fat production. Thus, although WNS may not have subjected the entire M. lucifugus population to selective pressure, it may have selected for specific alleles in Pennsylvania through decreased gene flow within the population. However, the persistence of remnant sub-populations in the aftermath of WNS is likely due to multiple factors in bat life history.Peer reviewe

    Genome-Wide Changes in Genetic Diversity in a Population of Myotis lucifugus Affected by White-Nose Syndrome

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    Novel pathogens can cause massive declines in populations, and even extirpation of hosts. But disease can also act as a selective pressure on survivors, driving the evolution of resistance or tolerance. Bat white-nose syndrome (WNS) is a rapidly spreading wildlife disease in North America. The fungus causing the disease invades skin tissues of hibernating bats, resulting in disruption of hibernation behavior, premature energy depletion, and subsequent death. We used whole-genome sequencing to investigate changes in allele frequencies within a population of Myotis lucifugus in eastern North America to search for genetic resistance to WNS. Our results show low F-ST values within the population across time, i.e., prior to WNS (Pre-WNS) compared to the population that has survived WNS (Post-WNS). However, when dividing the population with a geographical cut-off between the states of Pennsylvania and New York, a sharp increase in values on scaffold GL429776 is evident in the Post-WNS samples. Genes present in the diverged area are associated with thermoregulation and promotion of brown fat production. Thus, although WNS may not have subjected the entire M. lucifugus population to selective pressure, it may have selected for specific alleles in Pennsylvania through decreased gene flow within the population. However, the persistence of remnant sub-populations in the aftermath of WNS is likely due to multiple factors in bat life history

    Frequent Arousal from Hibernation Linked to Severity of Infection and Mortality in Bats with White-Nose Syndrome

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    White-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging infectious disease that has killed over 5.5 million hibernating bats, is named for the causative agent, a white fungus (Geomyces destructans (Gd)) that invades the skin of torpid bats. During hibernation, arousals to warm (euthermic) body temperatures are normal but deplete fat stores. Temperature-sensitive dataloggers were attached to the backs of 504 free-ranging little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) in hibernacula located throughout the northeastern USA. Dataloggers were retrieved at the end of the hibernation season and complete profiles of skin temperature data were available from 83 bats, which were categorized as: (1) unaffected, (2) WNS-affected but alive at time of datalogger removal, or (3) WNS-affected but found dead at time of datalogger removal. Histological confirmation of WNS severity (as indexed by degree of fungal infection) as well as confirmation of presence/absence of DNA from Gd by PCR was determined for 26 animals. We demonstrated that WNS-affected bats aroused to euthermic body temperatures more frequently than unaffected bats, likely contributing to subsequent mortality. Within the subset of WNS-affected bats that were found dead at the time of datalogger removal, the number of arousal bouts since datalogger attachment significantly predicted date of death. Additionally, the severity of cutaneous Gd infection correlated with the number of arousal episodes from torpor during hibernation. Thus, increased frequency of arousal from torpor likely contributes to WNS-associated mortality, but the question of how Gd infection induces increased arousals remains unanswered

    Socializing One Health: an innovative strategy to investigate social and behavioral risks of emerging viral threats

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    In an effort to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and control infectious diseases in animals and people, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) PREDICT project funded development of regional, national, and local One Health capacities for early disease detection, rapid response, disease control, and risk reduction. From the outset, the EPT approach was inclusive of social science research methods designed to understand the contexts and behaviors of communities living and working at human-animal-environment interfaces considered high-risk for virus emergence. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, PREDICT behavioral research aimed to identify and assess a range of socio-cultural behaviors that could be influential in zoonotic disease emergence, amplification, and transmission. This broad approach to behavioral risk characterization enabled us to identify and characterize human activities that could be linked to the transmission dynamics of new and emerging viruses. This paper provides a discussion of implementation of a social science approach within a zoonotic surveillance framework. We conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews and focus groups to better understand the individual- and community-level knowledge, attitudes, and practices that potentially put participants at risk for zoonotic disease transmission from the animals they live and work with, across 6 interface domains. When we asked highly-exposed individuals (ie. bushmeat hunters, wildlife or guano farmers) about the risk they perceived in their occupational activities, most did not perceive it to be risky, whether because it was normalized by years (or generations) of doing such an activity, or due to lack of information about potential risks. Integrating the social sciences allows investigations of the specific human activities that are hypothesized to drive disease emergence, amplification, and transmission, in order to better substantiate behavioral disease drivers, along with the social dimensions of infection and transmission dynamics. Understanding these dynamics is critical to achieving health security--the protection from threats to health-- which requires investments in both collective and individual health security. Involving behavioral sciences into zoonotic disease surveillance allowed us to push toward fuller community integration and engagement and toward dialogue and implementation of recommendations for disease prevention and improved health security

    Characterization of Seasonal, Sex, and Species Differences in Immune Measures in Four Species of Old World Fruit Bats (Pteropus vampyrus, P. pumilus, P. hypomelanus, and Rousettus aegyptiacus)

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    The study of Old World fruit bats (Order: Chiroptera, Family: Pteropodidae) is increasingly important from both conservation and epidemiological points of views. Chiropteran biodiversity is threatened by myriad factors such as habitat loss (from both natural occurrences and anthropogenic changes) and the killing of bats for food or as pest control. Furthermore, as bat and human interactions increase, there is greater risk for potentially critical zoonotic spillover events (e.g., Marburg virus, Nipah and Hendra viruses). Often times, bat reservoir hosts are seemingly unaffected by their pathogens, which is in stark contrast to the morbidity and mortality the pathogens cause in novel primary and secondary host species. Knowledge of the immunological and physiological processes, costs, and trade-offs within bats is crucial to understanding the host-pathogen system and disease transmission. There is a general paucity of data regarding basic immunological function in bat species, however, which motivated this study to characterize multiple immunological parameters of healthy male and female captive Old World fruit bats (four species: Pteropus vampyrus, P. pumilus, P. hypomelanus, and Rousettus aegyptiacus (males only)) at four timepoints throughout a year. Significant differences in complement hemolysis ability were found between species, but not sex, at all timepoints tested. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (N:L) also varied by species with markedly higher values in P. vampyrus, and was significantly higher in male versus female Pteropus species in September and December. With few exceptions, higher values of N:L ratio coincided with increased total glucocorticoid levels, and these were often seen in September. Relative total antibody within species also was evaluated; P. vampyrus and R. aegyptiacus males and P. pumilus males and females exhibited significant increases in total antibodies in September and/or December. Taken together and in context of species life histories (such as September breeding season), data collected characterize significant shifts in immune parameters throughout a year. This study will help inform future research of ecological immunology and disease ecology in Old World fruit bats

    The intersection of land use and human behavior as risk factors for zoonotic pathogen exposure in Laikipia County, Kenya.

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    A majority of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are zoonotic, mainly caused through spillover events linked to human-animal interactions. We conducted a survey-based human behavioral study in Laikipia County, Kenya, which is characterized by a dynamic human-wildlife-livestock interface. Questionnaires that assessed human-animal interactions, sanitation, and illnesses experienced within the past year were distributed to 327 participants among five communities in Laikipia. This study aimed to 1) describe variation in reported high-risk behaviors by community type and 2) assess the relationship between specific behaviors and self-reported illnesses. Behavioral trends were assessed in R via Fisher's exact tests. A generalized linear mixed model with Lasso penalization (GLMMLasso) was used to assess correlations between behaviors and participants' self-reported illness within the past year, with reported behaviors as independent variables and reported priority symptoms as the outcome. Reported behaviors varied significantly among the study communities. Participants from one community (Pastoralist-1) were significantly more likely to report eating a sick animal in the past year (p< 0.001), collecting an animal found dead to sell in the past year (p<0.0001), and not having a designated location for human waste (p<0.0001) when compared to participants from other communities. The GLMMLasso revealed that reports of an ill person in the household in the past year was significantly associated with self-reported illness. Sixty-eight percent of participants reported that bushmeat is available within the communities. Our study demonstrates community-level variation in behaviors that may influence zoonotic pathogen exposure. We further recommend development of targeted studies that explore behavioral variations among land use systems in animal production contexts

    Nycteria Parasites of Afrotropical Insectivorous Bats

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    Parasitic protozoan parasites have evolved many co-evolutionary paths towards stable transmission to their host population. Plasmodium spp., the causative agents of malaria, and related haemosporidian parasites are dipteran-borne eukaryotic pathogens that actively invade and use vertebrate erythrocytes for gametogenesis and asexual development, often resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality of the infected hosts. Here, we present results of a survey of insectivorous bats from tropical Africa, including new isolates of species of the haemosporidian genus Nycteria. A hallmark of these parasites is their capacity to infect bat species of distinct families of the two evolutionary distant chiropteran suborders. We did detect Nycteria parasites in both rhinolophid and nycterid bat hosts in geographically separate areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, however our molecular phylogenetic analyses support the separation of the parasites into two distinct clades corresponding to their host genera, suggestive of ancient co-divergence and low levels of host switching. For one clade of these parasites, cytochrome b genes could not be amplified and cytochrome oxidase I sequences showed unusually high rates of evolution, suggesting that the mitochondrial genome of these parasites may have either been lost or substantially altered. This haemosporidian parasite-mammalian host system also highlights that sequential population expansion in the liver and gametocyte formation is a successful alternative to intermediate erythrocytic replication cycles. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

    A Recently Discovered Pathogenic Paramyxovirus, Sosuga Virus, is Present in Rousettus aegyptiacus

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    In August 2012, a wildlife biologist became ill immediately following a 6-wk field trip to collect bats and rodents in South Sudan and Uganda. After returning to the US, the biologist was admitted to the hospital with multiple symptoms including fever, malaise, headache, generalized myalgia and arthralgia, stiffness in the neck, and sore throat. Soon after admission, the patient developed a maculopapular rash and oropharynx ulcerations. The patient remained hospitalized for 14 d. Several suspect pathogens, including viral hemorrhagic fever viruses such as Ebola viruses and Marburg viruses, were ruled out through standard diagnostic testing. However, deep sequencing and metagenomic analyses identified a novel paramyxovirus, later named Sosuga virus, in the patient\u27s blood. To determine the potential source, bat tissues collected during the 3-wk period just prior to the onset of symptoms were tested for Sosuga virus, and several Egyptian rousette bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) were found to be positive. Further analysis of archived Egyptian rousette tissues collected at other localities in Uganda found additional Sosuga virus positive bats, suggesting this species could be a potential natural reservoir for this novel paramyxovirus

    A Recently Discovered Pathogenic Paramyxovirus, Sosuga Virus, is Present in Rousettus aegyptiacus Fruit Bats at Multiple Locations in Uganda

    No full text
    In August 2012, a wildlife biologist became ill immediately following a 6-wk field trip to collect bats and rodents in South Sudan and Uganda. After returning to the US, the biologist was admitted to the hospital with multiple symptoms including fever, malaise, headache, generalized myalgia and arthralgia, stiffness in the neck, and sore throat. Soon after admission, the patient developed a maculopapular rash and oropharynx ulcerations. The patient remained hospitalized for 14 d. Several suspect pathogens, including viral hemorrhagic fever viruses such as Ebola viruses and Marburg viruses, were ruled out through standard diagnostic testing. However, deep sequencing and metagenomic analyses identified a novel paramyxovirus, later named Sosuga virus, in the patient\u27s blood. To determine the potential source, bat tissues collected during the 3-wk period just prior to the onset of symptoms were tested for Sosuga virus, and several Egyptian rousette bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) were found to be positive. Further analysis of archived Egyptian rousette tissues collected at other localities in Uganda found additional Sosuga virus positive bats, suggesting this species could be a potential natural reservoir for this novel paramyxovirus
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