Bats in Ecosystems and Their Wide Spectrum of Viral Infectious Threats: SARS-Cov-2 and Other Emerging Viruses
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Journal Pre-proof Bats in Ecosystems and their Wide Spectrum of Viral Infectious Threats: SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses D. Katterine Bonilla-Aldana, S. Daniela Jimenez-Diaz, J. Sebastian Arango-Duque, Mateo Aguirre-Florez, Graciela J. Balbin-Ramon, Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi, Jose Antonio Suarez,´ Monica R. Pachar, Luis A. Perez-Garcia, Lourdes A. Delgado-Noguera, Manuel Antonio Sierra, Fausto Munoz-Lara,˜ Lysien I. Zambrano, Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales PII: S1201-9712(20)30680-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.08.050 Reference: IJID 4547 To appear in: International Journal of Infectious Diseases Received Date: 23 July 2020 Revised Date: 8 August 2020 Accepted Date: 16 August 2020 Please cite this article as: { doi: https://doi.org/ This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. © 2020 Published by Elsevier. 1 Review Bats in Ecosystems and their Wide Spectrum of Viral Infectious Threats: SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses D. Katterine Bonilla-Aldana,1,2 S. Daniela Jimenez-Diaz,1 J. Sebastian Arango-Duque,3 Mateo Aguirre- Florez,2 Graciela J. Balbin-Ramon,4,5 Alberto Paniz-Mondolfi,6,7,8 Jose Antonio Suárez,9 Monica R. Pachar,10 Luis A. Perez-Garcia,11 Lourdes A. Delgado-Noguera,11 Manuel Antonio Sierra,12,13 Fausto Muñoz-Lara,14,15 Lysien I. Zambrano,16 Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales.2,4,17,* 1Semillero de Investigación en Zoonosis (SIZOO), Grupo de Investigación BIOECOS, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas, Sede Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. 2Public Health and Infection Research Group and Incubator, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. 3Unidad Central del Valle del Cauca, Tulua, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. 4Master in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Lima, Peru. 5Hospital de Emergencias Jose Casimiro Ulloa, Lima, Peru. 6Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-based Medicine, The Mount Sinai Hospital-Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA. 7Laboratorio de Señalización Celular y Bioquímica de Parásitos, Instituto de Estudios Avanzados (IDEA), Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela. 8Academia JournalNacional de Medicina, Caracas, Venezuela. Pre-proof 9Investigador SNI Senacyt Panamá, Clinical Research Deparment, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panamá City, Panama. 10Medicine Department - Infectious Diseases Service, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama. 2 11Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas IDB / Incubadora Venezolana de la Ciencia, Cabudare, Edo. Lara, Venezuela. 12 Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, UNAH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 13 Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 14 Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Escuela, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 15 Departamento de Medicina Interna, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, UNAH, Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 16 Departments of Physiological and Morphological Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH), Tegucigalpa, Honduras. 17 Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. *Corresponding Author. Email: [email protected]. Master in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Lima, Peru. Words: 3,640 | Abstract: 101 | References: 69 | Tables: 3 | Figures: 4 Running Head: Bats, Ecosystems and their Wide Spectrum of Viral Infectious Threats. Highlights Bats serve as natural reservoirs for a variety of viruses. Transmission of highly pathogenic viruses from bats has been suspected and linked to a spectrumJournal of emerging infectious diseases inPre-proof humans and animals worldwide. Examples of such viruses include Marburg, Ebola, Nipah, Hendra, Influenza A, Dengue, Equine Encephalitis viruses, Lyssaviruses, Madariaga and Coronaviruses, involving the now pandemic Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). 3 Herein, we provide a comprehensive review on the diversity, reservoirs, and geographical distribution of the main bat viruses and their potential for cross-species transmission. Abstract Bats have populated earth for approximately 52 million years, serving as natural reservoirs for a variety of viruses through the course of evolution. Transmission of highly pathogenic viruses from bats has been suspected and linked to a spectrum of emerging infectious diseases in humans and animals worldwide. Examples of such viruses include Marburg, Ebola, Nipah, Hendra, Influenza A, Dengue, Equine Encephalitis viruses, Lyssaviruses, Madariaga and Coronaviruses, involving the now pandemic Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Herein, we provide a comprehensive review on the diversity, reservoirs, and geographical distribution of the main bat viruses and their potential for cross- species transmission. Keywords: Bats; viruses; evolution; Anthropocene; transmission; cross-species. Introduction Over the last decades of the Anthropocene, the role of wild animals and their ecosystems in the emergence and expansion of infectious diseases has gained public health's attention. Bats are especially important as they have been related to the current Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, theJournal previous emergence of Middle East RespiratoryPre-proof Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012, and the SARS-CoV epidemic in 2002 1-6. 4 Bats have populated earth for approximately 52 million years, serving as natural reservoirs for multiple viruses through the course of their existence 7, 8. The evolution of their physical, physiological and behavioral characteristics has allowed them to expand to all continents except Antarctica, with ecological niches located in urban or rural areas, and especially in caves, mines and some types of foliage 9. Evolutional changes have also determined their current eating patterns and their role within the ecosystem 10. General characteristics of bats Bats are the only mammals capable of flight; they have nocturnal habits during which they either feed or mate and a layer of short fur that protects them from humidity and cold temperatures 11. Bats belong to the order Chiroptera (wings on the upper extremities), with approximately 1,100 species subclassified into two suborders: the Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera. This classification allows a better understanding of some of their behavioral patterns 8, 12, 13. Bats from the Megachiroptera suborder, commonly known as megabats, account for approximately 170 species mainly located in Asia, Africa and Oceania or Pacific region (Figure 1); their size can vary between 40 and 150 cm with their wings spread, and they weigh 1 kg on average. Megabats feed exclusively on fruit, seeds and pollen and their main habitats include caves, mines, trees and some buildings. Megachiroptera bats cannot echo localize 8. The Microchiroptera or microbats include over 930 species distributed throughout the entire planet with the exception of some islands and the poles. Their size ranges from 4 to 16 cm and feed mostly on flowers and fruit. They possess an echolocation system that allows hematophagous bats to search and capture small prey such asJournal lizards, small mammals, and arthropods Pre-proof. Their primary habitats include forests and tropical areas although they are also capable of coexisting with humans in some urban settings 8, 12, 13. 5 Another notable feature is that microbats can travel long distances of up to 2000 km during migratory season to fulfill their nutritional needs, which is relevant to understand local and intercontinental spread of colonies and coexistence with other animals of the same species. Microbats also play a role as pollinators as their feces fertilize and distribute seeds among the areas they inhabit, in addition to serving as plague controllers by feeding on insects, frogs, and rats 8, 14. Characteristics of bats that allow transmission of pathogens Bats that coexist within the same geographical area often host common microorganisms 11, 12. Contagion rates depend on contact speed and susceptibility to infections of a specific population 12. Evolutionary processes granted bats with hollow bones to facilitate air maneuvering. This hollowness results in the absence of bone marrow and thus the inability to produce B cells necessary for an efficient immune response, making bats asymptomatic carriers for a long list of viruses 8. Additionally, several species are facultative heterotherms capable of entering profound lethargy during periods of physiological stress to compensate for energy and water deficits, favoring viral persistence 12. Continuous physical contact within bats of the same colony facilitates viral circulation, especially during breeding and migration seasons 15. The proposed mechanisms of viral transmission between microbats is aerosol release produced by larynx vibrations that occur during echolocation