Preprint Brief Report Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Hibernating Bats are a Weak Source for Biomonitoring of Coronaviruses

Aleksander Goll
,
Lara Dutra
,
Joanna Nowicka
ORCID logo ,
Elena Sgarabotto
,
Vinaya Venkat
,
Grzegorz Apoznański
,
Tomasz Kokurewicz
ORCID logo ,
Alek Rachwald
ORCID logo ,
Lukasz Rabalski
,
Hussein Alburkat
ORCID logo ,
Jenni Virtanen
,
Tarja Sironen
ORCID logo ,
Ravi Kant
* ,
Vincent Bourret
* ,
Maciej Grzybek
Version 1 : Received: 4 January 2024 / Approved: 5 January 2024 / Online: 5 January 2024 (14:50:18 CET)

How to cite: Goll, A.; Dutra, L.; Nowicka, J.; Sgarabotto, E.; Venkat, V.; Apoznański, G.; Kokurewicz, T.; Rachwald, A.; Rabalski, L.; Alburkat, H.; Virtanen, J.; Sironen, T.; Kant, R.; Bourret, V.; Grzybek, M. Hibernating Bats are a Weak Source for Biomonitoring of Coronaviruses. Preprints 2024, 2024010503. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.0503.v1 Goll, A.; Dutra, L.; Nowicka, J.; Sgarabotto, E.; Venkat, V.; Apoznański, G.; Kokurewicz, T.; Rachwald, A.; Rabalski, L.; Alburkat, H.; Virtanen, J.; Sironen, T.; Kant, R.; Bourret, V.; Grzybek, M. Hibernating Bats are a Weak Source for Biomonitoring of Coronaviruses. Preprints 2024, 2024010503. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.0503.v1

Abstract

(1) Background: Bats are reservoirs and vectors of significant zoonotic diseases. Our study focuses on understanding the role of bats as reservoirs and carriers of coronaviruses, given their epidemiological significance and the recent global health crises stemming from coronavirus outbreaks. (2) Methods: We conducted virological screening of bats hibernating in military bunkers at the Natura 2000 site "Nietoperek" in Western Poland. This involved collecting and analyzing oral and anal swab samples from 138 bats across six species, using a combination of pan-coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2 specific PCR assays. (3) Results: Out of 138 bats, only one anal swab tested positive for coronavirus. However, we were not able to obtain genomic sequence from the sample. No SARS-CoV-2 was detected in any of the samples. The low prevalence of coronavirus in the studied colony contrasts with higher rates found in other regions and may be influenced by the physiological and behavioral conditions of bats during hibernation. (4) Conclusions: Hibernating bats may show a low prevalence of coronavirus, potentially due to the hibernation process itself. This finding indicates that hibernating bats may not be the most optimal subjects for screening zoonotic pathogens. However, continuous monitoring of bat populations for emerging and reemerging diseases is recommended for a comprehensive epidemiological understanding.

Keywords

bat-borne diseases; biomonitoring; coronaviruses; SARS-CoV-2

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Virology

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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