title: Leptospira and paramyxovirus infection dynamics in a bat maternity enlightens pathogen maintenance in wildlife.
abstract: Bats are reservoirs for several zoonotic pathogens of medical importance; however, infection dynamics of pathogens in wild bat populations remain poorly understood. Here, we examine the influence of host crowding and population age structure on pathogen transmission and diversity in bat populations. Focusing on two pathogen taxa of medical importance, Leptospira bacteria and paramyxoviruses, we monitored host population and pathogen shedding dynamics within a maternity colony of the tropical bat species Mormopterus francoismoutoui, endemic to Réunion Island. Our data reveal astonishingly similar infection dynamics for Leptospira and paramyxoviruses, with infection peaks during late pregnancy and 2 months after the initial birth pulse. Furthermore, although co-infection occurs frequently during the peaks of transmission, the patterns do not suggest any interaction between the two pathogens. Partial sequencing reveals a unique bat-specific Leptospira strain contrasting with the co-circulation of four separate paramyxovirus lineages along the whole breeding period. Patterns of infection highlight the importance of host crowding in pathogen transmission and suggest that most bats developed immune response and stop excreting pathogens. Our results support that bat maternity colonies may represent hot spots of transmission for bacterial and viral infectious agents, and highlight how seasonality can be an important determinant of host-parasite interactions and disease emergence.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien, France.|Université de La Réunion, France.
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien, France.|Université de La Réunion, France.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien, France.|Université de La Réunion, France.
authors.forename: Aude
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benlali
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien, France.|Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Sainte Clotilde, France.
authors.forename: Erwan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lagadec
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien, France.|Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Sainte Clotilde, France.
authors.forename: Beza
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ramasindrazana
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien, France.|Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Sainte Clotilde, France.
authors.forename: Koussay
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dellagi
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les Maladies Émergentes dans l'Océan Indien, France.|Université de La Réunion, France.|Joint Chair Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Université de La Réunion, Sainte Clotilde, France.
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tortosa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000821:virology; D060085:Coinfection; D007919:Leptospira; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary*; D010252:Paramyxoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D018184:Paramyxoviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012621:Seasons