Bat species assemblage predicts coronavirus prevalence

Anthropogenic disturbances and the subsequent loss of biodiversity are altering species abundances and communities. Since species vary in their pathogen competence, spatio-temporal changes in host assemblages may lead to changes in disease dynamics. We explore longitudinal changes in bat species assemblages affect the disease dynamics of coronaviruses (CoVs) in more than 2300 cave-dwelling bats captured over two years from five caves in Ghana. This reveals uneven CoV infection patterns between closely related species, with the alpha-CoV 229E-like and SARS-related bet-CoV 2b emerging as multifocal host-pathogens. Prevalence and infection likelihood both for phylogenetically distinct CoVs is influenced by the abundance of competent species and naïve substrates. Bodily, bat species vary in CoV competence, and highly competent species are more common in less diverse communities, leading to increased CoV prevalence in less diverse bat assemblages. In line with the One Health framework, our work supports the notion that biodiversity conservation may be the most proactive measure to prevent the spread of pathogens with zoonotic potential.

Magdalena Meyer, Dominik W. Melville, Heather J. Baldwin, Kerstin Wilhelm, Evans Ewald Nkrumah, Ebenezer K. Badu, Samuel Kingsley Oppong, Nina Schwensow, Adam Stow, Peter Vallo, Victor M. Corman, Marco Tschapka, Christian Drosten, Simone Sommer