Epidemics: The fewer bat species, the better for coronaviruses

Control of health epidemics

The fewer bat species, the better for coronaviruses

Published on April 9, 2024 | Reading time: 3 minutes

The fewer ecosystems are protected, the more points of contact there are between humans and bats

Quelle: photo alliance / abaca

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Humans and animals are closely linked. How close is regularly demonstrated in the transmission of pathogens. A study now suggests: Protecting bat species is not only important to preserve biodiversity, but also to prevent pandemics.

Decreasing biodiversity in bat communities may increase the risk of the spread of certain coronaviruses. An international research team has proven this in a study published in the journal ‘Nature Communications’ led by Simone Sommer from the University of Ulm.

The group from Germany, the Czech Republic, Australia and Ghana examined more than 2,300 bats in five caves in Ghana, West Africa, for two years. Using DNA samples, the researchers determined which species are more common in the populations studied and which are especially often infected with coronaviruses.

They also collected stool samples, which were examined for coronaviruses at the Charité under the supervision of Berlin virologist Christian Drosten. Bats contain many different coronaviruses.

Disturbance-tolerant species transmit viruses better

The team found that in less diverse bat communities, only the most disturbance-tolerant species were still common. These people were precisely the types that were more sensitive to certain coronaviruses and also transmitted them better.

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This increased the risk of infection within the entire bat colony. Why more disease-tolerant species transmit such viruses better is an unresolved question and was not part of the study, said biologist involved Magdalena Meyer from the University of Ulm.

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This phenomenon was observed, among other things, with two special coronavirus variants: the so-called Alpha-CoV 229E-like variant, which is comparable to a human cold virus, and the Beta-CoV 2b variant, which is related to the Sars pathogen.

However, this does not mean that these are direct precursors of viruses that occur in humans, Meyer explains. Direct transmission of coronaviruses from bats to humans has never been proven.

Danger arises from disturbed ecosystems

Externally, the different bat species did not differ from each other. Therefore, small tissue samples were taken from the bats’ wings for DNA testing. For the study, the team also measured the size and weight of the bats and then released the animals. The animals were unharmed, Meyer emphasizes.

How do biodiversity protection and disease prevention relate to each other? If biodiversity or habitats are protected, the points of contact between species or animals and people also become smaller, explains biologist Meyer. Pathogens occur naturally in ecosystems and pathogens and hosts are usually well matched.

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“In principle, there is no immediate threat from an intact ecosystem, but only when humans intervene and contact points arise where there were none before,” says Meyer, for example through habitat destruction, deforestation or even the wildlife trade.

Bat communities are changing as species that were suboptimal hosts for certain pathogens are lost. The remaining susceptible hosts therefore appear in higher densities, Meyer explains.

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“And if there are more animals that are infected more often and can transmit this virus better, then the pathogen will of course generally spread better in this species community. This means that nature conservation plays an extremely important role in disease prevention and therefore also in pandemics.”

From the researchers’ perspective, the results support the “One Health” concept. There is a close link between environmental protection, animal health and human health. They also pointed out that protecting bats is also important for ecological reasons, because they act in the ecosystem in various ways by regulating insect populations, pollinating plants or dispersing seeds.

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