Health epidemic control
The fewer bat species, the better for coronaviruses
As of: 5:04 p.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
The fewer ecosystems are protected, the more points of contact there are between humans and bats
Quelle: picture alliance / abaca
Humans and animals are closely connected. How close is regularly shown in the transmission of pathogens. A study now suggests: Protecting bat species is not only important to preserve biodiversity – but also to prevent pandemics.
Declining biodiversity in bat communities may increase the likelihood of certain coronaviruses spreading. 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 over a period of two years in five caves in Ghana, West Africa. Using DNA samples, the researchers determined which species were more common in the populations studied and which were particularly often infected with coronaviruses.
They also collected fecal samples, which were examined for coronaviruses at the Charité under the direction 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, of all people, were among the species that were more susceptible to certain coronaviruses and also transmitted them better.
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As a result, the risk of infection within the entire bat colony was increased. Why more disorder-tolerant species transmit such viruses better is an unresolved question and was not part of the study, said the biologist involved, Magdalena Meyer from the University of Ulm.
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This phenomenon was observed, among other things, for two special coronavirus variants: for the so-called Alpha-CoV 229E-like variant, which is similar to a human cold virus, and for the Beta-CoV 2b variant, which is related to the Sars pathogen.
However, this does not mean that these are direct predecessors of viruses that appear in humans, explained Meyer. Direct transmission of coronaviruses from bats to humans has never been proven.
Danger arises from disturbed ecosystems
The various bat species did not differ from each other externally, which is why tiny tissue samples were taken from the bats’ wings for DNA tests. For the study, the team also took the dimensions and weight of the bats and then released the animals again. The animals were not harmed, emphasized Meyer.
How are biodiversity protection and disease prevention related? If biodiversity or habitats are protected, points of contact between species or animals and people would also be reduced, explained biologist Meyer. Pathogens occur naturally in ecosystems and pathogens and hosts are usually well adapted to one another.
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“In principle, there is no immediate danger from an intact ecosystem, but only when humans intervene and points of contact arise where there were none before,” says Meyer, for example through the destruction of habitats, deforestation or even wildlife trade.
Bat communities change as species that were suboptimal hosts for certain pathogens are lost. The remaining susceptible hosts therefore appear in a higher density, explained Meyer.
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“And if there are more animals that are infected more often and can pass on this virus better, then the pathogen will of course generally spread better in this species community. This means that nature conservation has an enormously important role in disease prevention and therefore also in pandemics.”
From the researchers’ perspective, the results support the “One Health” concept. This sees a close connection between environmental protection, animal health and human health. They also pointed out that protecting bats is also important for ecological reasons, as they act in a variety of ways in the ecosystem by regulating insect populations, pollinating plants or dispersing seeds.