IntroductionIn addition to the commonly accepted importance of the vampire bat in the maintenance and transmission of the rabies virus (RABV) in South America, RABV infection of other species is widely evidenced, challenging their role in the viral cycle.Methodology / Principles findingsTo identify the bioecological drivers of RABV circulation in neotropical bat communities, we conducted a molecular and serological survey on almost 1,000 bats from 30 species, and a 4-year longitudinal survey in two colonies of vampire bats in French Guiana. RABV was molecularly detected in a common vampire and in a frugivorous bat. The sequences corresponded to haematophagous bat-related strains and were close to viruses circulating in the Brazilian Amazon region. Species’ seroprevalence ranged from 0 to 20%, and the risk of seropositivity was higher in bats with a haematophagous diet, living in monospecific colonies and in dense forests. The longitudinal survey showed substantial temporal fluctuations, with individual waves of seroconversions and waning immunity. The high prevalences observed in bat communities, in most habitats and in species that do not share the same microhabitats and bioecological patterns, the temporal variations, and a rather short period of detectable antibodies as observed in recaptured vampires suggest (i) frequent exposure of animals, (ii) an ability of the infected host to control and eliminate the virus, (iii) more relaxed modes of exposure between bats than the commonly assumed infection via direct contact with saliva of infected animals, all of which should be further investigated.Conclusions / significanceWe hypothesize that RABV circulation in French Guiana is mainly maintained in the pristine forest habitats that may provide sufficient food resources to allow vampire bats, the main prevalent species, to survive and RABV to be propagated. However, on the forest edge and in disturbed areas, human activities may induce more insidious effects such as defaunation. One of the ecological consequences is the disappearance of resources for tertiary or secondary consumers. Populations of vampires may then shift to alternative resources such as cattle, domestic animals and humans. Therefore, a good forest status, allowing both a dilution effect in highly rich bat communities and the maintenance of large populations of medium-sized and large mammals used as prey by vampires, should prevent their migration to anthropized areas.

The levels of regulatory T cells (Treg cells)

The role of recombinant interleukin-16 (rIL-16) in regulating human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication in endogenously infected cells has been investigated. Cultures of CD8 cell-depleted mitogen-activated lymphocytes from 22 of 26 HIV-1-infected subjects presented variable levels of secreted p24 antigen. The presence of rIL-16 throughout the 14-day culture period dramatically inhibited p24 release into the culture supernatants. This effect was found to be mediated through inhibition of viral transcription but to be independent of the induced levels of other cytokines or chemokines known to regulate viral replication. Analysis of serum samples from HIV-1-infected subjects over a period of 8 years showed maintained or even increased IL-16 levels during the whole asymptomatic phase and a significant drop on progression to disease. These results strongly support a potential therapeutic value of rIL-16 in HIV-1 infection and the use of serum IL-16 levels to monitor disease progression.