Bat species assemblage predicts coronavirus prevalence

Anthropogenic disturbances and biodiversity loss are altering species abundances and communities. This study explores how longitudinal changes in bat species assemblages affect coronavirus (CoV) dynamics in over 2300 cave-dwelling bats from Ghana. Uneven CoV infection patterns were observed between closely related species, with alpha-CoV 229E-like and SARS-related beta-CoV 2b identified as multifocal host-pathogens. CoV prevalence and infection likelihood were influenced by the abundance of competent species and naïve substrates. Highly competent species were more common in less diverse communities, leading to increased CoV prevalence in less diverse assemblages. The findings support the notion that biodiversity conservation is crucial for preventing zoonotic pathogen spread.

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