Estudis ecoepidemiològics de quiròpters a les Illes Balears (1993-2014)

L’article presenta una part dels resultats dels estudis ecoepidemiologics fets en les poblacions de ratapinyades de les Illes Balears des del 1993 fins el 2014. S’han efectuat seguiments a poblacions de ratapinyades de Mallorca i de Menorca i s’han anellat individus per poder conèixer els moviments estacionals i estimar paràmetres demogràfics. Els estudis epidemiològics s’han fet a partir d’anàlisis serològiques i de detecció d’ARN víric emprant la tècnica de la nRT-PCR. El treball aporta informació sobre les colònies de la cova d’en Curt, la cova Marina de ses Ratapinyades, les coves d’es Pilar, la cova de sa Guitarreta i la cova de ses Ratapinyades. S’han anellat 4.818 individus des de 1996 fins l’estiu del 2014 i s’han fet 2.038 recaptures (42%). S’han comprovat 43 trajectes diferents: 18 a Miniopterus schreibersii, 13 a Myotis capaccinii, 8 a Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, 3 a Myotis myotis i 1 a Myotis emarginatus. S’ha detectat la presència d’European Bat Lyssavirus tipus 1 (EBLV-1) a les colònies de ratapinyades de les coves des Curt, Murada, de ses Ratapinyades, de sa Guitarreta i des Pilar. S’han trobat individus seropositius a les espècies següents: M. myotis, M. escalerai, M. capaccinii, M. schreibersii, R. ferrumequinum i Tadarida teniotis. S’ha obtingut ARN d’EBLV-1 a M. myotis, Myotis escalerai, M. schreibersii, R. ferrumequinum i T. teniotis. La seroprevalença contra EBLV-1 varia àmpliament segons sigui el mes de l’any, la família de la ratapinyada, la mida de la colònia i el nombre d’espècies que hi ha al refugi. A partir de les dades ecoepidemiològiques s’ha elaborat un model matemàtic per descriure la dinàmica de la circulació de EBLV-1 en colònies de ratapinyades, el qual ha mostrat que EBLV-1 no pot persistir si no existeix transmissió vírica entre M. schreibersii i les altres espècies de ratapinyades que es refugien a les mateixes coves. Els resultats indiquen que si prossegueix la tendència a concentrar els individus de les poblacions en unes poques colònies grans, probablement també augmentaria la probabilitat de tenir colònies on hi circulés EBLV-1. Aquest factor s’hauria de tenir en compte a l’hora de gestionar les colònies de ratapinyades

Seroprevalence Dynamics of European Bat Lyssavirus Type 1 in a Multispecies Bat Colony

We report an active surveillance study of the occurrence of specific antibodies to European Bat Lyssavirus Type 1 (EBLV-1) in bat species, scarcely studied hitherto, that share the same refuge. From 2004 to 2012, 406 sera were obtained from nine bat species. Blood samples were subjected to a modified fluorescent antibody virus neutralization test to determine the antibody titer. EBLV-1-neutralizing antibodies were detected in six of the nine species analyzed (Pipistrellus pipistrellus, P. kuhlii, Hypsugo savii, Plecotus austriacus, Eptesicus serotinus and Tadarida teniotis). Among all bats sampled, female seroprevalence (20.21%, 95% CI: 14.78%-26.57%) was not significantly higher than the seroprevalence in males (15.02%, 95% CI: 10.51%-20.54%). The results showed that the inter-annual variation in the number of seropositive bats in T. teniotis and P. austriacus showed a peak in 2007 (>70% of EBLV-1 prevalence). However, significant differences were observed in the temporal patterns of the seroprevalence modeling of T. teniotis and P. austriacus. The behavioral ecology of these species involved could explain the different annual fluctuations in EBLV-1 seroprevalence

Les ratapinyades de les illes Balears: distribució, avaluació i estat sanitari de les poblacions

[eng] Bats are considered an excellent group of environmental health indicator. Besides its ecological importance, the bats have acquired in recent years a great interest in epidemiological studies because they are an important reservoir of emerging viral zoonoses. This paper highlights the ecological and epidemiological information obtained since 1993 in the Balearic Islands. During these years we have used different methodologies: exploration of underground cavities, installing Japanese nets and recording and analysis of ultrasonic signals emitted by bats. The results obtained indicate that the Balearic Islands have a very high diversity of bats, with the presence of 19-20 species, the most abundant Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Pipistrellus kuhlii, Pipistrellus pygmaeus and Tadarida teniotis. These four species together with Hypsugo Savii, Plecotus austriacus, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Rhinolophus hipposideros, are present in all the major islands of the archipelago. The loss and alteration of the shelters have a negative impact on bat populations. However, is confirmed the gradual recovery of the colony of Miniopterus schreibersii hibernation in Minorca, after the great mortality that occurred in 2003. We have also verified several movements between different cavities either between islands or between one island refuges. We observed spread of lyssavirus in Mallorca and Menorca colonies of bats, although that the risk of transmission of a bat to the human species is very low.[cat] Les ratapinyades són considerades un excel·lent grup indicador de la salut ambiental. A més a més de la importància ecològica, els quiròpters han adquirit els darrers anys un gran interès en estudis epidemiològics perquè són un important reservori de zoonosis víriques emergents. El present treball dóna a conèixer la informació ecològica i epidemiològica obtinguda des de l’any 1993 a les Illes Balears. Durant aquests anys hem utilitzat diferents metodologies: prospeccions de cavitats subterrànies, instal·lació de xarxes japoneses i enregistraments i anàlisis dels senyals ultrasònics emesos pels quiròpters. Els resultats obtinguts indiquen que les Illes Balears presenten una diversitat de quiròpters força elevada, amb 19-20 espècies citades, essent les més abundants Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Pipistrellus kuhlii, Tadarida teniotis i Pipistrellus pygmaeus. Aquestes quatre espècies juntament amb Hypsugo savii, Plecotus austriacus, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum i Rhinolophus hipposideros, són presents en totes les grans illes de l’Arxipèlag. La pèrdua i les freqüents alteracions dels refugis incideixen negativament en les poblacions de les ratapinyades. No obstant això, s’ha pogut constatar la recuperació gradual de la colònia d’hibernada de Miniopterus schreibersii a Menorca, després de la gran mortaldat succeïda l’any 2003. També hem pogut verificar diversos desplaçaments entre cavitats, ja sigui entre illes o entre refugis d’una mateixa illa. S’ha observat circulació de lyssavirus en colònies mallorquines i menorquines de ratapinyades, tot i que el risc de transmissió d’una ratapinyada a l’espècie humana és molt baix.[spa] Los murciélagos son considerados un excelente grupo indicador de la salud ambiental. Además de la importancia ecológica, los quirópteros han adquirido en los últimos años un gran interés en estudios epidemiológicos porque son un importante reservorio de zoonosis víricas emergentes. El presente trabajo da a conocer la información ecológica y epidemiológica obtenida desde 1993 en las Islas Baleares. Durante estos años hemos utilizado diferentes metodologías: prospecciones de cavidades subterráneas, instalación de redes japonesas y grabaciones y análisis de las señales ultrasónicas emitidas por los quirópteros. Los resultados obtenido indican que las Islas Baleares presentan una diversidad de quirópteros muy elevada, con presencia de 19-20 especies, siendo las más abundantes Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Pipistrellus kuhlii, Tadarida teniotis i Pipistrellus pygmaeus. Estas cuatro especies juntamente con Hypsugo savii, Plecotus austriacus, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum y Rhinolophus hipposideros, son presentes en todas las grandes islas del Archipiélago. La pérdida y las alteraciones de los refugios inciden negativamente en las poblaciones de murciélagos. No obstante, se ha podido constatar la recuperación gradual de la colonia de hibernación de Miniopterus schreibersii en Menorca, después de la gran mortalidad sucedida en el año 2003. También hemos podido verificar diversos desplazamientos entre diferentes cavidades ya sea entre islas o entre refugios de una misma isla. Se ha observado circulación de lyssavirus en colonias mallorquinas y menorquinas de murciélagos, aunque el riesgo de transmisión de un quiróptero a la especie humana es muy bajo

COVID-19: The Conjunction of Events Leading to the Coronavirus Pandemic and Lessons to Learn for Future Threats

Originally identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, SARS-CoV-2 has become a pandemic owing to a long period of incubation, a high number of asymptomatic cases, and high international mobility. Here we consider the unique conjunction of events that allowed this new coronavirus to emerge and create a pandemic. We urge governments to learn from SARS and COVID-19 and to implement preparedness for pandemics to come

Widespread infection with hemotropic mycoplasmas in bats in Spain, including a hemoplasma closely related to 'Candidatus Mycolasma hemohominis'

Molecular analyses of blood samples revealed infection with hemoplasmas in 97% of 31 cave bats captured in three caves in North-Eastern Spain. The characterization of 1250 bp of the 16S rRNA gene in 29 of the positive bats identified two different groups of sequences. Twenty-two Schreibers' bats (Miniopterus schreibersii) and one long-eared bat (Myotis capaccinii) shared one group, composed of seven closely related sequences. These sequences showed an identity of about 97% with "Candidatus Mycoplasma hemohominis" and the phylogenetic branch including bat and human sequences showed a 100% bootstrap value, supporting a close phylogenetic relationship between these hemoplasmas. The second group, representing a potentially novel species, was composed of a single sequence shared by six Schreibers' bats that had 91% identity with the recently reported hemoplasma from little brown bats in North America. Large bat aggregations in roosting caves probably benefits intra and inter-species transmission explaining the high observed prevalence

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of five species of bats from the Balearic Islands

Abstract not availabl

Seroprevalence of toscana Virus and sandfly fever sicilian virus in European bat colonies measured using a neutralization test

Toscana phlebovirus (TOSV) and Sicilian phlebovirus (SFSV) are endemic in the Mediterranean area where they are transmitted to humans by infected sandflies. Vertebrates of several species have been postulated to act as reservoirs of these viruses, but convincing evidence is still awaited. Among them, bats have been suggested, however documented evidence is lacking. Here we tested a total of 329 bats belonging to eight species collected from twelve localities in southern Spain for the presence of neutralizing antibodies specific to TOSV and SFSV. Positive sera were detected in Schreiber's long-fingered bat (Miniopterus schreibersii), mouse-eared Myotis (Myotis myotis), European free-tailed bat (Tadarida teniotis), and common serotine (Eptesicus serotinus) with the latter showing the highest prevalence rates for SFSV (22.6%) and TOSV (10%). There was no difference between females and males. Results suggest that bats are not likely to play a major role in the natural cycle of these two sandfly-borne phleboviruses. However, large breeding colonies of bats can be used as sentinels for surveillance of the presence of such viruses in a given locality. In addition, capture-recapture studies should be initiated in order to understand better the dynamics of TOSV and SFSV in bat populations

Emergence of Bat-Related Betacoronaviruses: Hazard and Risks

The current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with more than 111 million reported cases and 2,500,000 deaths worldwide (mortality rate currently estimated at 2.2%), is a stark reminder that coronaviruses (CoV)-induced diseases remain a major threat to humanity. COVID-19 is only the latest case of betacoronavirus (β-CoV) epidemics/pandemics. In the last 20 years, two deadly CoV epidemics, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS; fatality rate 9.6%) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS; fatality rate 34.7%), plus the emergence of HCoV-HKU1 which causes the winter common cold (fatality rate 0.5%), were already a source of public health concern. Betacoronaviruses can also be a threat for livestock, as evidenced by the Swine Acute Diarrhea Syndrome (SADS) epizootic in pigs. These repeated outbreaks of β-CoV-induced diseases raise the question of the dynamic of propagation of this group of viruses in wildlife and human ecosystems. SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and HCoV-HKU1 emerged in Asia, strongly suggesting the existence of a regional hot spot for emergence. However, there might be other regional hot spots, as seen with MERS-CoV, which emerged in the Arabian Peninsula. β-CoVs responsible for human respiratory infections are closely related to bat-borne viruses. Bats are present worldwide and their level of infection with CoVs is very high on all continents. However, there is as yet no evidence of direct bat-to-human coronavirus infection. Transmission of β-CoV to humans is considered to occur accidentally through contact with susceptible intermediate animal species. This zoonotic emergence is a complex process involving not only bats, wildlife and natural ecosystems, but also many anthropogenic and societal aspects. Here, we try to understand why only few hot spots of β-CoV emergence have been identified despite worldwide bats and bat-borne β-CoV distribution. In this work, we analyze and compare the natural and anthropogenic environments associated with the emergence of β-CoV and outline conserved features likely to create favorable conditions for a new epidemic. We suggest monitoring South and East Africa as well as South America as these regions bring together many of the conditions that could make them future hot spots